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Subject:Re: A NEW MARK? Not in Gerald Davison handbook
Posted By: Bill H Sat, Nov 21, 2015
The last line, on the left side of the larger inscription, is signed as "Sketched by Wang You Tang" (Wang Youtang Xie - 汪友棠寫). I think there may be a cyclical date of Jia Chen (甲辰 - 1904) in the middle line, though I'm not certain of Chen as the second character. Perhaps Super or another contributor who's better-versed in cursive script can sort out the rest.
Your presumed brush holder also resembles an opium bowl or damper stand (see links below for examples in wood). Since these stands for the business ends of opium pipes usually have drawers or compartments for other smoking tools, I would guess that the open side of yours might have accommodated a drawer, made of ceramic or wood, which is now missing. Otherwise, I'd think there would be no reason for the stand to have an enclosed base. Similar stands also were made for Chinese tobacco pipe bowls, and could have been used as a temple or home altar joss-stick holder as well.
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/318114_wood-pipe-bowl-stand
http://www.dagoodstuff.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=1125
The mark in red looks to read "Cannon Defending the [or this] Charitable Institution" (Bao Shan Tang Pao - 保善堂砲). Shantang could also be translated as "Benevolent Institution".
Best regards,
Bill H.
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