Fan-shaped Brush Washer·Brush Stand with Plum Tree and Bamboo Design in Relief

This vessel with fan-shaped planes functions both as a brush washer and a brush stand. Since the piece should be created by connecting delicate plates, the process must have been challenging. The artifact demonstrates superior expertise, making its complicated structure flawless. The highlight of this piece is the characters engraved in relief. The letters inscribed in front in the seal script style of Chinese calligraphy indicate the influence of “evidential scholarship,” a movement in which people insisted on getting back to the original classics of Confucius, even over a brush washer. Engraved at the bottom are the names of the potters, a rare case at the time