Vintage Natural Burl Wood Brush Pot

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Chinese scholars are fond of objects from nature and wood, burlwood, bamboo brush pots became necessary pieces of decorative object … Read more Chinese scholars are fond of objects from nature and wood, burlwood, bamboo brush pots became necessary pieces of decorative object in a scholar's table. The brush pot's function is to hold Chinese paint brushes and other long skinny objects. Scholars appreciate the presence of natural objects in the their milieu. The woody objects made from trees bring nature indoors.

This object was made from a tree branch. Some natural mishap caused the wood to form burls. When the tree's growth pattern gets disrupted from stress, injury, fungus, insect activity, dormant buds or genetics, burls will grow from these areas. Instead of growing in straight grain, the wood grows in swirling. knotted masses. Burl wood often produces these sculptural knobs, hollows and flowing shapes. The knotted masses formed on one section are a nice contrast to the simple vertical grains that covered the rest of the pot. The tree root pot has been stained brown to replicate its natural coloring.

The irregularities on the pot is greatly appreciated for its natural occurrence, especially by Japanese scholars who use the word "shibui" to describe this accidental happenstance. My grandfather was a calligrapher who practiced calligraphy daily. He had a large table on which he placed the objects he needed for his artistic pursuits. He had several brush pots for brushes of different sizes and lengths. He did have have a burl brush pot. He would have loved this one for his smaller brushes. See less