Weiner Mihályné szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 12. (Budapest, 1970)

HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM — MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - Horváth, Tibor: Report on the Activities of the Ferenc Hopp Museum of Eastern Asiatic Arts in 1968

Fig. 2. China. Brush-washer (?), jade, 15—16th century (?). H.: 7,2 cm, L.: 18 cm. Purchased. Inventory number: 68.29. — The form is elongated, which means that the rim of the cup is oval. Stem and leaves combine the decoration of the smoothly polished cup. They partly cover the cup, and also form a handle-like extension which reaches the bottom. The leaves are rather clumsily made, the incised lines on the edge look as heavy imitation of an old jade cutting process. The colour of the jade is uneven, at the botton it is deep green, changing higher up to brown and, near to the edge, to greyish-green. This carving could be a simplified version of the so called "leaf-shaped cups" reaching back to the T'ang, or even

—according to the Chinese experts

—to Han dynasty. In the catalogue of Chinese Art Treasures (The National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1961—1962), we find under Nr. 133 such a piece, dated to Han dynasty, after the official list, but corrected later as : "... the naturalistic representation of the piece and the realistic softness of the carving point to a later date". In the description we find also: "... this cup

... may have been used on a scholar's desk for rising the ink from brushes". This rnight be correct, but probably mot in every case. Not only when the size is larger, but even more so in the case of the oldest pieces. Originally these cups or bowls are lotus leaf shaped and for this reason there is a possibility that they were connected with a ritual of the Buddhist temples. It is not easy to date our piece. It could be as old as the 15—16tih century after the form and polishing technique, but at the same time it is not unlikely that it was made as late as the 17—18th century, in the style of old pieces. T. H. 10* 147