OFFICIAL SCHOOL, 1760-1830

細節

**A FINE AND RARE CARVED CAMEO AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE
OFFICIAL SCHOOL, 1760-1830
Of rounded-rectangular form, carved on one side utilizing the darker markings with a prancing horse tethered to a post beneath the inscription Kezhuifeng ('Swift as the wind') in relief within a fan-shaped frame, coral stopper with turquoise finial and gilt-metal collar
2½ in. (6.4 cm.) high

來源

Trio Pearl, Hong Kong, 1970
Ian Hardy
Irving Lindzon
Christie's, London, 12 October 1987, lot 327

出版

Hugh Moss, Chinese Snuff Bottles of the Silica or Quartz Group, p. 50, no. 127
JICSBS, Autumn 1987, p. 3
Orientations, September 1987, p. 25
Arts of Asia, September-October 1987, p. 23
JICSBS, Winter 1987, p. 29, fig. 13
Orientations, February 1988, p. 71
Moss et. al., The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, vol. 1, no. 151

展覽

Christie's, New York, 1993
Empress Place Museum, Singapore, 1994
Museum fur Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt, 1996-1997
Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1997
Naples Museum of Art, Florida, 2002
Portland Museum of Art, Oregon, 2002
National Museum of History, Taipei, 2002
International Asian Art Fair, Seventh Regiment Armory, New York, 2003
Poly Art Museum, Beijing, 2003

注意事項

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

拍品專文

A popular subject found on Official School bottles of the late 18th/early 19th century, a horse tethered to a post forms a common rebus which expresses a wish for speedy promotion for a deserving young candidate. With the present example, the carver has used the natural markings in the stone to full advantage and presented a powerful impression of three-dimensional depth. This example is distinguished by its lack of a foot rim and especially by the unusual addition of the inscription. Effectively using the natural colors in the stone, this inscription would appear to be a clever double entendre that refers both to the horse and to the speed of promotion of the recipient. An agate bottle of this design, but lacking the inscription, is illustrated by R. Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles - The White Wings Collection, p. 180, no. 122.

For a discussion of the Official School of hard-stone carving, see H. Moss, V. Graham, K. B. Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 2, Quartz, no. 258, and nos. 301-6 which are all from the same school and decorated with horses in a somewhat similar vein.