MEIQI AND GENG XICHI, PERHAPS YANGZHOU, 1800-1880

细节

**A RARE INCISED LACQUER SNUFF BOTTLE
MEIQI AND GENG XICHI, PERHAPS YANGZHOU, 1800-1880
Of tapered cylindrical form with a recessed foot, incised with a continuous design of two Buddhist lions atop swirling clouds, with the title 'Big Lion, Little Lion' followed by the dedication 'For the elegant enjoyment of His Excellency, the Commander-in-Chief Jintang' and the signature 'Carved by Geng Xichi from above Yangzhou', with the further signature below the design 'Made by Meiqi', enameled copper stopper, Guangzhou, 1720-1750
2 13/16 in. (7.2 cm.) high

来源

Ko Collection
Christie's London, 8 November 1976, lot 182

出版

Moss et. al., The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, vol. 2, no. 309
The Art of Chinese Snuff Bottle, Poly Art Museum, p.127

展览

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

注意事项

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.

拍品专文

This bottle, a documentary delight, provides the name of the inscriber, the name of the maker of the blank bottle and the name of the recipient. Sadly, however, nothing is known about any of the participants except that the inscriber comes from an area known as 'above Yangzhou.' This, combined with its similarity to the lacquer wares made by Lu Dong of Yangzhou (an example of whose work was formerly in the J & J Collection and illustrated in Moss et. al., The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, p. 52-2, no. 307 and subsequently sold in these rooms, 30 March 2005, lot 86) is compatible with a Yangzhou attribution.

The surface of the bottle has been treated as if it was a small painting or album leaf, and like a painting, the artist has titled it and inscribed it to a friend. The incised decoration, spontaneous and confident, is typical of the nineteenth century literati amateur. The Buddhist lions, shown romping on swirling clouds, are full of spirit. A similar sense of energy can be found on a bamboo brush pot by the nineteenth century scholar Liu Xihai in the Bloch Collection, illustrated in Arts from the Scholar's Studio, no. 57, which is decorated with a somewhat similar-looking beast.