LATE MING-EARLY QING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY

The decoration on the brush pot depicts the myth of the Daoist Immortal Xu Xun. He is shown among figures on a riverbank quelling demons in the river. Xu Xun was a celebrated Daoist priest of the Jin dynasty (265-420), who was fond of the techniques for attaining immortality. Having mastered the 'Daoist Magical Skills' (daofa), he was known in many mystical stories about his fights against dragons and killing of snakes to rid people of evil and demons. A brush pot of similar form and decoration to that of the present example is in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Accession no. EA1978.2056.