A WELL-CARVED YELLOW JADE SNUFF BOTTLE

1750-1840

Details

A WELL-CARVED YELLOW JADE SNUFF BOTTLE
1750-1840
The well-hollowed pebble carved in the form of a sack tied two-thirds of the way up with a ribbon, the two dangling ends of the bow partially revealed beneath the folded back upper third, with a monkey clambering up one side holding a branch of blossoming peony, and a wasp on the other side, the stone of a rich caramel tone, stopper
2 1/16 in. (5.24 cm.) high

Provenance

Hugh M. Moss Ltd.
Irving Lindzon
Christie's London, 12 October 1987, lot 341

Literature

Moss et. al., The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J&J Collection, vol. 1, no. 18

Exhibited

Christie's New York, 1993
Empress Place Museum, Singapore, 1994
Museum fur Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt, 1996-1997
Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1997
Naples Museum of Art, Florida, 2002
Portland Museum of Art, Oregon, 2002
National Museum of History, Taipei, 2002
International Asian Art Fair, Seventh Regiment Armory, New York, 2003
Poly Art Museum, Beijing, 2003

Lot Essay

The imagery on this bottle is highly auspicious. The construction of the rebus is formed by the monkey (hou) on a sack (dai) with a wasp (feng), which produce the phrase dai fenghou, 'May generations of your family be ennobled as marquises'. The peony held in the monkey's paw is symbolic of riches and honor, and it adds to the auspicious wish. Compare with two other nephrite bottles from the J&J Collection carved with the same subject-matter, illustrated by Moss et. al., The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, New York, 1993, nos. 16 and 17.

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