AN INSIDE-PAINTED CRYSTAL BOTTLE

SIGNED YE ZHONGSAN, DATED TWELFTH MONTH, WUSHEN YEAR (1908), WRITTEN AT THE CAPITAL; BOTTLE, 1740-1850

Details

AN INSIDE-PAINTED CRYSTAL BOTTLE
Signed Ye Zhongsan, dated twelfth month, wushen year (1908), written at the capital; bottle, 1740-1850
Of flattened ovoid form, finely painted in attractive pastel colors with a continuous scene of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, two of whom are playing weiqi, and one with a young attendant crossing a bridge, the young helper carrying a qin in a bag, all within a hilly landscape with bamboo, stopper
2¼in. (5.7cm.) high

Provenance

Sotheby's, 15 March 1984, lot 312.

Lot Essay

This is a subject which first appears in the earlier works of Ye Zhongsan, and is one of the best examples known where an earlier crystal bottle has been utilized. For another example, dated 1912, from the Mary and George Bloch Collection, see H. Moss, V. Graham, K. B. Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Hong Kong, 1998, vol. 4, Inside Painted, no. 645.

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