Hand Carved Boxwood Brush Pot with 18 Arhats - Scholar's Desk Organizer, Chinese Wood Carving

A brush pot carved with the Eighteen Arhats — hand-carved from large-leaf boxwood in the 650-year-old carving tradition of Yueqing, China.

The brush pot (笔筒) is one of the traditional treasures of the Chinese scholar's desk, alongside the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Originally it held calligraphy brushes upright; today it holds pens, pencils, brushes, or scissors just as well. Around its surface, carved in relief, are the Eighteen Arhats — the enlightened disciples of the Buddha, each with his own expression, posture, and attribute.

Details

• Hand-carved from large-leaf boxwood
• Size: 12.5 × 9 × 8 cm (4.9 × 3.5 × 3.1 in) · Weight: 265 g
• Relief-carved figures of the Eighteen Arhats around the full circumference
• Functions as a desk organizer: pens, brushes, pencils, scissors
• Fine boxwood grain holds crisp detail in the faces and robes
• Solid wood with a smooth hand-rubbed finish
• Carved individually; no two are identical

Who are the Eighteen Arhats?
In Buddhist tradition the arhats are those who have reached enlightenment and remain in the world to protect the teachings. They're usually shown as eighteen distinct figures — each with a recognizable face, gesture, or object. Carving all eighteen around a single cylinder, with no repetition, is a genuine test of an artisan's range.

A desk object with weight
This is for people who work at a desk and care what's on it. It's functional, but it's also the kind of object visitors pick up and turn around in their hands.

Care
Keep dry and out of prolonged direct sunlight or high humidity. Boxwood deepens in color with age — collectors value this. Dust with a soft, dry cloth or brush.

Please note
Hand-carved from natural wood — grain, color, and tone vary from piece to piece. These are characteristics of genuine handmade work, not defects. Each pot is one of a kind.