Brush holder

Early 20th century

1644

1911

12.6

8.3

9.5

HKU.M.1997.1166

This brush holder with golden rims is decorated with painted enamels, which include iron-red, ruby, cobalt blue, green, and yellow. Foliage, trees, gardening, and flowers are shown on the front side and backside of the holder, which are framed on the violet flower-patterned background. On the front side, two women are playing with 4 children in different colors of clothes in their yard. On the backside, a woman is facing one child while 3 children are playing near the pond on the balcony with the view of a small mountain.

This brush holder is made of copper coated with enamel. This technique was invented in Limoges, France during the Renaissance period, and was adopted by KangXi Emperor (1662-1722) from European merchants and Jesuit missionaries. Enameled metal wares, included plates, clocks, trays, were intended to be tributed to the court as luxury goods. With advanced skills and knowledge in enameling porcelain, the technique of fusing enamels within wire cells on copper and bronze was first introduced during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and becoming a trend by the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).


Bibliography 

Vinhais, L., Welsh, J. (2015) China of All Colours. Painted Enamels on Copper. UK: Jorge Welsh.