Unknown Maker, Chinese

This bold brush holder for a scholar’s desk imitates examples made from wood. In contrast to the undecorated brush pot, the inkstone-another item commonly found on a desk-features intricately carved birds. Displayed here upside down, it is made of malachite, whose brilliant green is likened in historical texts to the realms of the immortals. Both of these objects would have attested to their owners’ social standing, as jade and malachite were only accessible to the affluent.