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Lot Essay
It is unknown whether Wanya Xuan, the Studio of Refined Amusement, refers to the studio name of this bottle's owner or whether it is the identifying device of a particular glassworks. The mark appears on a number of bottles of different colors, many of them of this distinctive shape with the mark engraved in the same unusual position low on one narrow side. Examples of this type include a turquoise-blue bottle illustrated by H. Moss, Snuff Bottles of China, p. 116, no. 260; a yellow example illustrated in JICSBS, June 1977, p. 9, no. 18; one of turquoise-green glass, illustrated by J. Silver, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Joseph Baruch Silver, p. 12, no. 12; another yellow bottle and an opaque green example illustrated by M. S. Mayer, Glass Snuff Bottles of China at Steuben Glass, nos. 61 and 124, respectively; and a red example from the J & J Collection, illustrated by Moss et. al., The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, vol. 2, no. 337, and subsequently sold in these rooms, 30 March 2005, lot 87.
With its subtle coloring and fantastic markings, this is one of the more unusual examples of the Wanya Xuan group, which are largely of monochrome glass. Apart from the impression of a brush-stroke, the natural design on one side resembles a setting sun beyond layers of clouds.
With its subtle coloring and fantastic markings, this is one of the more unusual examples of the Wanya Xuan group, which are largely of monochrome glass. Apart from the impression of a brush-stroke, the natural design on one side resembles a setting sun beyond layers of clouds.