A BLACK JADE 'BIRD ON TREE' BRUSHPOT 18th century (2)A BLACK JADE 'BIRD ON TREE' BRUSHPOT18th centuryOf cylindrical form with straight walls rising from a rectangular base to a flat rim, the exterior naturalistically carved and pierced in several layers as a tree truck with a bird standing on a branch, all raised from four low bracketed feet, box. 12cm (4 3/4in) high. (2).十八世紀 墨玉喜上眉梢筆筒Compare the present piece with a related early Qing dynasty zitan brushpot in the Beijing Palace Museum with similar naturalistically carved tree truck, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings, Hong Kong, 2002, no.51.墨玉質，整體雕梅樁一節，內掏膛成筆筒，外壁深浮雕老樹鱗節，枝丫間浮雕一回首喜鵲，平底，下承四足，亦作梅枝狀。喜鵲與梅花寓意喜上眉梢，為清代流行之吉祥題材。可比較北京故宮藏一件清早期紫檀木樁形筆筒，其木根形態與本件頗似，見李久芳編，《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集·竹木牙角雕刻》，香港，2002年，編號51。