XIAOTAO, JINGDEZHEN KILNS, 1820-1860

Details

**A FINELY CARVED PORCELAIN SNUFF BOTTLE
XIAOTAO, JINGDEZHEN KILNS, 1820-1860
Of compressed form with convex lip and recessed, flat oval foot surrounded by a footrim, carved on one side with a riverside scene beneath the moon, with an elderly scholar holding a gnarled staff on the river-bank beneath bare trees growing from a towering rock face, greeting a fisherman who is rowing his skiff toward him, the reverse with relief inscription in draft script, 'A view of the pier under a bright moon', followed by the signature Xiaotao zuo ('Made by Xiaotao'), with a seal, Xiao, in seal script, the foot inscribed in relief seal script Qingxiang ('Pure and fragrant'), glass stopper with silver collar
2½ in. (6.35 cm.) high

Provenance

John Ford Associates, Inc.
Hugh M. Moss Ltd., Hong Kong, 1981

Literature

Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle. The J & J Collection, Vol. 1, no. 250

Exhibited

Dallas Convention, October 1985
Christie's, New York, 1993
Empress Place Museum, Singapore, 1994
Museum für 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

The genre of individually signed carved porcelains developed in the early-nineteenth century; a few artists specialized and became well-known while others only produced bottles occasionally. Xiaotao is otherwise unrecorded, but in the early years of the evolution of this art form, artists who went on to become well-known under their own names originally used pseudonyms.

The shape suggests that the bottle dates to the Daoguang period. While the decoration is carved, the raised inscriptions on the reverse seem to have been achieved by applying liquid slip. The carving is extremely well executed and totally confident, proving the artist's potential in carving biscuit porcelain.

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