.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
This bottle is made from Duan stone, a material highly valued by scholars and most often made into ink stones. It is carved on one side with a pair of confronted, archaistic kui-dragons and on the other with a pair of naturalistic dragons amidst clouds, flanked by mask and ring handles. The entire surface of the bottle, including the base but excluding the top of the mouth, is incised with seals and inscriptions in various scripts, including Manchu, and with two cyclical dates.
The bottle belongs to a group of Duan stone bottles carved with similar dragons and handles, presumably all from the same workshop. These are sometimes left without further decoration, and are sometimes incised with the same imperial poem by the Qianlong Emperor. See by H. Moss et al., A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection,Vol. 3, Hong Kong, 1998, pp. 59-64, no. 394, for an example with confronted dragons on one side and a Qianlong imperial poem incised on the reverse.
According to Hugh Moss, this bottle “not only ranks as the most exciting bottle made from this material, but as one of the most exciting of all known bottles.” (The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, vol. I, New York, 1993, p. 151). It is remarkable for the addition of numerous inscriptions, comprising hundreds of characters. These inscriptions were added over a period of at least three months, as suggested by the two cyclical dates, one corresponding to the year 1754, 1814 or 1874 without a month, and the other to the spring of 1755, 1815 or 1875. The inscriptions are translated by H. Moss et al. in ibid., pp. 155-56, and consist largely of ethical directives and uplifting aphorisms like "be loyal and frank" and "the heart is like a pool of stagnant water." It is implied that the bottle was made for or by a Mr. Zhang who was in possession of a well-regarded snuff bottle at the time. This notable bottle could be a reference to the current bottle or an indication of Zhang's expert taste and reputation. The relevant inscriptions around one of the mask and ring handles note “A high opinion [is held] of Zhang (?)’s snuff bottle. A treasure of Chunwei Tang. Shoujing.” Shoujing, meaning ‘hold the right principals’, is incised in a red seal and may be interpreted as the personal name of the inscriber.
The bottle belongs to a group of Duan stone bottles carved with similar dragons and handles, presumably all from the same workshop. These are sometimes left without further decoration, and are sometimes incised with the same imperial poem by the Qianlong Emperor. See by H. Moss et al., A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection,Vol. 3, Hong Kong, 1998, pp. 59-64, no. 394, for an example with confronted dragons on one side and a Qianlong imperial poem incised on the reverse.
According to Hugh Moss, this bottle “not only ranks as the most exciting bottle made from this material, but as one of the most exciting of all known bottles.” (The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, vol. I, New York, 1993, p. 151). It is remarkable for the addition of numerous inscriptions, comprising hundreds of characters. These inscriptions were added over a period of at least three months, as suggested by the two cyclical dates, one corresponding to the year 1754, 1814 or 1874 without a month, and the other to the spring of 1755, 1815 or 1875. The inscriptions are translated by H. Moss et al. in ibid., pp. 155-56, and consist largely of ethical directives and uplifting aphorisms like "be loyal and frank" and "the heart is like a pool of stagnant water." It is implied that the bottle was made for or by a Mr. Zhang who was in possession of a well-regarded snuff bottle at the time. This notable bottle could be a reference to the current bottle or an indication of Zhang's expert taste and reputation. The relevant inscriptions around one of the mask and ring handles note “A high opinion [is held] of Zhang (?)’s snuff bottle. A treasure of Chunwei Tang. Shoujing.” Shoujing, meaning ‘hold the right principals’, is incised in a red seal and may be interpreted as the personal name of the inscriber.