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Lot Essay
The town of Suzhou, famous for its gardens and canals, was also one of the main cultural centers in China, attracting many painters, calligraphers, poets, musicians and other talented individuals. Their pursuits and interests form the main subject matter of the group of acclaimed snuff bottles intricately carved from agate and jade in a style unique to the workshop associated with Zhiting, a famous jade carver from the area.
Zhiting was one of the few jade carvers who signed his wares with the intention of establishing artistic identity. The first of these artists to do so was Lu Zigang, who probably inspired Zhiting, although the former worked two centuries earlier. Extant signed works by Zhiting are all small, being either pendants or snuff bottles, and a similar style of carving links the jade and quartz pendants to the snuff bottles. The name "Zhiting School" has been applied to this particular group of carvings from Suzhou. For a discussion on the Zhiting School, see Moss, Graham, Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, The Mary and George Bloch Collection, Vol. 2, Part 2, quartz, Hong Kong, 1998, pp. 504-9, no. 366. Also see a signed Zhiting jade bottle, ibid., Vol. 1, Jade, Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 304-5, no. 112, and a later Suzhou carved jade bottle with a horse dated 1750-1850, pp. 308-9, no. 123.
While Zhiting School works date from as early as the Kangxi period, the style was carried on through the Qing dynasty. The present example is carved in slightly higher relief than the low-relief style associated with earlier Qing jade carvings from Suzhou, and features the popular vapor motif and rockwork. For a slightly earlier white jade bottle carved with a similar scene of a male figure seated beside a brazier emitting a vapor, see Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, Vol. I, New York, 1993, pp. 62-5, no. 21. Another example of a later Zhiting School bottle, dated 1740-1860, was sold in these rooms, 24-25 March 2011, lot 1575.
Zhiting was one of the few jade carvers who signed his wares with the intention of establishing artistic identity. The first of these artists to do so was Lu Zigang, who probably inspired Zhiting, although the former worked two centuries earlier. Extant signed works by Zhiting are all small, being either pendants or snuff bottles, and a similar style of carving links the jade and quartz pendants to the snuff bottles. The name "Zhiting School" has been applied to this particular group of carvings from Suzhou. For a discussion on the Zhiting School, see Moss, Graham, Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, The Mary and George Bloch Collection, Vol. 2, Part 2, quartz, Hong Kong, 1998, pp. 504-9, no. 366. Also see a signed Zhiting jade bottle, ibid., Vol. 1, Jade, Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 304-5, no. 112, and a later Suzhou carved jade bottle with a horse dated 1750-1850, pp. 308-9, no. 123.
While Zhiting School works date from as early as the Kangxi period, the style was carried on through the Qing dynasty. The present example is carved in slightly higher relief than the low-relief style associated with earlier Qing jade carvings from Suzhou, and features the popular vapor motif and rockwork. For a slightly earlier white jade bottle carved with a similar scene of a male figure seated beside a brazier emitting a vapor, see Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, Vol. I, New York, 1993, pp. 62-5, no. 21. Another example of a later Zhiting School bottle, dated 1740-1860, was sold in these rooms, 24-25 March 2011, lot 1575.