A Chinese bamboo brush pot, with inscription by Xichi Laoren (Shen Quanlin), 1743

竹雕笔筒, 乾隆西池老人款, 1743年

the brush pot in honey hue and with good patina, carved with a gathering scene under pine trees, the inscription reads as: carved in autumn at the eighth year of Qianlong period, Xichi Laoren

Xichi Laoren, also Shen Quanlin, active in Kangxi and Qianlong period, was a noted bamboo carver in the Qing dynasty, specialised in the carving of bird-and-flower and vegetable-and-fruit genres.

此笔筒呈琥珀色, 有包浆, 刻有松荫人物图, 款识: 乾隆八年癸亥暮秋作此, 西池老人

西池老人为沈全林晚年称号。沈为嘉定人, 清康熙至乾隆间竹刻名家。