A BURLWOOD 'TREE TRUNK' BRUSHPOT, BITONG, MID-QING China, 18th-19th century. Naturalistically carved with burls and recesses to simulate a gnarled section of a tree trunk and with a countersunk circle to the base. Finely polished to a smooth, unctuous feel overall. Provenance: From the estate of Sear Hang Hwie Pao (1937-2009), acquired at Sotheby's during the 1980s or 1990s (according to attached auction label). Pao was one of Canada's leading dealers of Chinese porcelain and works of art. His antique store, Pao & Moltke Ltd., owned together with his wife Mrs. von Moltke, who descended from a German and Danish noble family, was a fixture in Toronto's trendy Yorkville area from the 1980s to early 2000s. Condition: Excellent condition with old wear, naturally grown patina, few minuscule nicks and scratches here and there. Weight: 101.8 g Dimensions: Height 8.3 cm Auction result comparison: A related burlwood bitong of larger size was sold by Sotheby's Hong Kong, in China 5000 Years, on 5 June 2020, lot 481, for HKD 75,000. 清代中期癭木瘤根筆筒 中國，十八至十九世紀。取天然癭木根隨形而雕如樹幹狀，底足有一淺淺小凹槽的，表面光滑油潤。 來源：Sear Hang Hwie Pao (1937-2009) 收藏，1980至1990年代購於蘇富比（根據拍賣標籤）。Pao是加拿大中國瓷器和藝術品的主要經銷商之一。 他和妻子創立了Pao＆Moltke Ltd古玩店，他們的古玩店從1980年代到2000年代初期曾是多倫多時尚的Yorkville地區的熱門店鋪。 品相：品相極好，舊磨損，自然的包漿，局部輕微小划痕和刻痕。 重量：101.8 克 尺寸：高8.3 厘米 拍賣結果比較：一件尺寸稍大的瘤木筆筒，見香港蘇富比 China 5000 Years 2020年6月 5日 lot 481, for HKD 75,000。