Antique Chinese Qing Period Blue and White Porcelain Brush Pot Landscape Scene 4.5"W

Antique Chinese Blue and White Porcelain Brush Pot with Landscape and Calligraphy

China, late Qing dynasty (circa late 19th century)
Dimensions: 4.5″W × 3.5″H × 3″D (11.4 × 8.9 × 7.6 cm)

This antique Chinese porcelain brush pot is potted in a classic cylindrical form and decorated in underglaze cobalt blue on a soft white ground. The exterior features a continuous hand-painted landscape scene with scholars’ dwellings, trees, rocky outcrops, and distant hills, rendered in an expressive, fluid brush manner characteristic of early 20th-century wares.

Interspersed among the landscape elements are vertical columns of Chinese characters, painted freely rather than as a formal inscription, reinforcing the literati aesthetic associated with scholar’s desk objects. The interior rim is finished with a repeating wave-scroll border, while the recessed base is unglazed and shows kiln wear consistent with age. The base bears no reign mark, aligning with Republic-period decorative brush pots made for domestic use rather than imperial patronage.

Brush pots (筆筒 bitong) were essential implements in the traditional scholar’s studio, used to hold calligraphy and painting brushes upright when not in use. By the Republic period, such vessels often blended classical themes with looser, more spontaneous painting styles, reflecting a shift away from strict court conventions toward personal expression.

Condition: Age-appropriate wear throughout, including light surface scratches, kiln grit, and interior staining from use. No cracks or structural repairs observed.

A well-proportioned and evocative scholar’s object, suitable for display, functional use as a brush holder, or as a decorative accent reflecting late 19th-century Chinese literati traditions.