MASTER OF THE ROCKS SCHOOL, 1750-1850

Details

A BLACK AND GREY JADE SNUFF BOTTLE
MASTER OF THE ROCKS SCHOOL, 1750-1850
The front of the bottle is carved through a black colored 'skin' to the grey ground with two playful Buddhist lions. The narrow sides are carved with mask-and-ring handles and an inscription on the reverse reads ji xiang ru yi ('May you have auspiciousness and your wishes fulfilled').
2 3/8 in. (6 cm.) high, jadeite stopper

Provenance

Jana Volf, 2008.
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., Hong Kong, 2008.
Ruth and Carl Barron Collection, Belmont, Massachusetts, no. 4744.

Exhibited

Boston, International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society Convention, The Barron Collection, 23-26 September 2008.

Special notice

This lot is offered without reserve.

Lot Essay

As noted in the discussion to lot 423, the Master of the Rocks school seems to have specialized in jade bottles carved with landscapes. However, there is a small group within the school, carved with imperial themes such as chi dragons and, as seen here, Buddhist lions and mask-and-ring handles, that suggest a Court connection.

For a related a grey nephrite bottle in the Bloch collection and a discussion of this small group see Moss, Graham, Tsang , A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, the Mary and George Bloch Collection, Vol. 1, Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 340-42.

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