Brush holder with "Three Friends of the Winter" and poem
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.The Qianlong emperor particularly valued novelty and tromp l’oeil effects on artworks. Ornamented with the emperor’s own poem and painting, this brush pot perfectly exemplifies this aesthetic while demonstrating a never-before-seen feature: gold inlaid into a completely blackened bronze surface, mimicking the appearance of gold painting on dark paper. The technique of pressing gold foil into grooves on the vessel surface, rather than using parcel gilding or gold wire inlay, was also novel.
Artwork Details
- 清乾隆 烏銅嵌金三友圖筆筒
- Title: Brush holder with "Three Friends of the Winter" and poem
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong mark and period (1736–95)
- Date: mid-18th century
- Culture: China
- Medium: Patinated copper alloy, gold inlay
- Dimensions: H. 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm)
Diam. of rim: 6 1/8 in. (15.5 cm)
Diam. of base: 6 1/16 in. (15.4 cm) - Classification: Metalwork
- Credit Line: Lent by The Palace Museum
- Rights and Reproduction: Photograph courtesy of The Palace Museum, Beijing
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art