This Qing Dynasty brush pot is carved with images of “The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove”. The bamboos and pine trees where the seven sages are roaming and traveling are exquisitely engraved with a powerful sense of three-dimensional dynamics, u sing sophisticated techniques of deep relief carving and piercing carving, even the facial expressions of the characters vividly portrayed. “The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove”were a group of Chinese scholars, writers, and musicians of the 3rd century CE, namely Ji Kang (aka Xi Kang), Liu Ling, Ruan Ji, Ruan Xian, Xiang Xiu, Wang Rong and Shan Tao. They found their lives to be in danger when the avowedly Confucian Jin Dynasty (Sima clan) came to power, and as is traditionally depicted, the group wished to escape the intrigues, corruption and stifling atmosphere of court life during the politically fraught Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. They gathered in a bamboo grove near the house of Ji Kang in Shanyang (now in Henan province) where they enjoyed, and praised in their works, the simple, rustic life. They stressed the enjoyment of Chinese alcoholic beverages, personal freedom, spontaneity and a celebration of nature. This brush pot is especially valuable for its old but beautiful wrapped slurry with a tinge of russet color, also with the charming spirit of literati embodied in carved bamboo.