SIGNED MA SHAOXUAN, BEIJING, 1895-1910

Details

**A VERY RARE INSIDE-PAINTED FAN-SHAPED CRYSTAL SNUFF BOTTLE
SIGNED MA SHAOXUAN, BEIJING, 1895-1910
Carved in the shape of an open folding fan and painted inside with a simulated fan, one side decorated with a dragonfly above flowering lotus, the other with two fan-tailed goldfish swimming amidst lotus leaves and other aquatic plants, signed Ma Shaoxuan with the seal Shao, the crystal with net-like markings, coral stopper
1¾ in. (4.4 cm.) high

Provenance

Mrs. E. L. Holmes
Christie's London, 5 April 1971, lot 7
Hugh Moss

Literature

JICSBS, December 1977, p. 18, no. 23
Snuff Bottles of the Ch'ing Dynasty, p. 124, no. 233
100 Selected Chinese Snuff Bottles from the J & J Collection, no. 77
J & J poster
Orientations, October 1987, p. 42, fig. 8
JICSBS, Autumn 1989, front cover
JICSBS, Winter 1989, p. 5, fig. 12
Moss et. al., The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, vol. 2, no. 421
The Miniature World - An Exhibition of Snuff Bottles from the J & J Collection, p. 72
Asian Art, March 2003, p. 18

Exhibited

Hugh M. Moss Ltd., London, September 1974
Hong Kong Museum of Art, October-December 1978
Christie's London, October 1987
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

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Lot Essay

Only one other bottle of this unusual shape painted by Ma Shaoxuan is known, illustrated in Zhongguo Biyanhu Zhenshang, Gems of Chinese Snuff Bottles, no. 343. Its design is almost identical to that on the present lot, although the positioning of the dragonfly has changed, and the shape of the bottle is slightly narrower.

There can be no doubt that these two snuff bottles were made specifically to be painted with this subject-matter. Ma has successfully achieved a comfortable shape for the bottle, while giving the impression that the fan is fully open so as to reveal the design without distortion. This is one of Ma's most effective designs and more impressive bottles. The visual game of the fan inside a fan-shape and of Ma appearing to paint not merely the bottle but the fan itself, upon which he signs, is delightful.

The paired fish can be found on more conventionally shaped bottles, and represent marital happiness, with the colors black and red evoking the tradition of the yinyang concept.

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