50 | Large cinnabar lacquer brush Ming Dynasty, early 16th century Length: 24.7 cm | 9 3/4 in Click image for full-size version Created in two shades of red lacquer, the cylindrical handle has a bright top surface colour and a darker ground; this is hollow, and fitted with a thick brush – its opposite end sealed and carved with a ‘shou’ character (symbolizing longevity). The handle’s surface is carved with an open and continuous scene depicting two scholars and three attendants; they walk along a path with water on either side, amongst rocks and bushes, into a landscape of hills and trees with a distant pavilion. The scene as a whole can be read like a painting – evolving from the bottom to the top as it wraps around the handle. Similar example: Chinese Carved Lacquer, by Derek Clifford, Bamboo Publishing, 1992 – plate 66 shares many characteristics with the brush, and also the two previous carved lacquer trays illustrated in our catalogue (nos. 48 and 49) – namely, the curving pine clusters, the carved hands, and the similar stylistic execution of rocks and trees in the landscape (in combination with the various elements being widely spaced within the scene).