Carved Boxwood Brush-
holder Depicting the 
Gathering of Aesthetes
in the Western Garden
Ch'ing Dynasty (A.D. 1644-
1911)
     The sides of this 
brush-holder are carved 
with a virtually three-
dimensional scene in high 
relief depicting a total 
of nineteen figures.  
These include Su Tung-po 
writing calligraphy, Li 
Kung-lin  painting  his 
picture  "T'ao  Yuan-ming 
Returning Home," Mi Fu 
inscribing  a poem  on a 
rock wall, and the figures 
of Huang T'ing-chien, Ch'in 
Kuan and Buddhist Master 
Yuan-t'ung, together with 
a number of servant-boys.