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Lot Essay
The inscription includes a dedication to Yu Ting, fifth brother, and reads "painted in the winter month."
Zhou Leyuan, along with Ding Erzhong, was one of the masters of inside-painting at the end of the nineteenth century, known for consistent high quality, artistic integrity, and a knowledge of the artistic traditions of his time. Although he was a commercial artist, he never compromised his art simply to conform to popular taste. His subjects were scholarly, which was his means of bridging the gap between the literati or artistic mode and the commercial market that sustained him. The mountain and taihe rock on this bottle exemplify the Daoist preoccupation with mountain and stone worship that was practiced by many of the literati.
For another Ye family bottle depicting an eagle above a bear, see Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 624-625, no. 409.
Zhou Leyuan, along with Ding Erzhong, was one of the masters of inside-painting at the end of the nineteenth century, known for consistent high quality, artistic integrity, and a knowledge of the artistic traditions of his time. Although he was a commercial artist, he never compromised his art simply to conform to popular taste. His subjects were scholarly, which was his means of bridging the gap between the literati or artistic mode and the commercial market that sustained him. The mountain and taihe rock on this bottle exemplify the Daoist preoccupation with mountain and stone worship that was practiced by many of the literati.
For another Ye family bottle depicting an eagle above a bear, see Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 624-625, no. 409.