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Lot Essay
The most closely related published bottle appears to be a grey and white jade example illustrated by Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, New York and Tokyo, 1993, vol. III, p. 43, no. 6. The finely detailed treatment of small scales and dorsal fins is very similar.
For a variety of other fan-tailed fish bottles, see Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, The Mary and George Bloch Collection, Hong Kong, 1995, vol. I, Jade, pp. 132-143, no. 52-56. In design, though not in colour, the bottle from this group which most closely compares to the present example is no. 56, pp. 142-143, a black and white jade bottle attributed to Suzhou. The small scales, dorsal fin resting to one side, tail folding back around the body and use of a different colour skin to highlight additional decoration are very similar.
The word goldfish, jinyu, is homophonous with the term meaning 'gold and jade', ie. wealth.
See, also, ibid, p. 134 for a discussion of the meaning of twin-fish. A pair of fish connotes a happy marriage and because fish lay many eggs they are a symbol of ample progeny (the addition of pomegranate on our example only adding to this allusion.) When combined with acquatic plants, the generic term for which is zao, which also sounds like the word for 'early', they subtly convey the meaning 'early arrival of children'.
For another russet and white jade fish bottle, see Xia Gengqi and Zheng Rong (chief compilers), Masterpieces of Snuff Bottles in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1995, p. 137, no. 130
For a variety of other fan-tailed fish bottles, see Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, The Mary and George Bloch Collection, Hong Kong, 1995, vol. I, Jade, pp. 132-143, no. 52-56. In design, though not in colour, the bottle from this group which most closely compares to the present example is no. 56, pp. 142-143, a black and white jade bottle attributed to Suzhou. The small scales, dorsal fin resting to one side, tail folding back around the body and use of a different colour skin to highlight additional decoration are very similar.
The word goldfish, jinyu, is homophonous with the term meaning 'gold and jade', ie. wealth.
See, also, ibid, p. 134 for a discussion of the meaning of twin-fish. A pair of fish connotes a happy marriage and because fish lay many eggs they are a symbol of ample progeny (the addition of pomegranate on our example only adding to this allusion.) When combined with acquatic plants, the generic term for which is zao, which also sounds like the word for 'early', they subtly convey the meaning 'early arrival of children'.
For another russet and white jade fish bottle, see Xia Gengqi and Zheng Rong (chief compilers), Masterpieces of Snuff Bottles in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1995, p. 137, no. 130