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Lot Essay
This sumptuous bottle is part of a group of four snuff bottles signed by the enigmatic Japanese master Tansan, whose identity is otherwise unknown, but who worked in Japan during the second half of the nineteenth century and first decade of the twentieth century. Another amber bottle in the J & J Collection bears his signature and is illustrated by Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle. The J & J Collection, pp. 508-509, no. 300, along with an unsigned example attributed to the master, p. 505, no. 298, which was later sold in these rooms, 29 March 2006, lot 4. Like the present bottle, these two bottles are exceptionally well carved from amber and have a similar irregular, recessed foot with broad, flat rim.
In this superb example, the fish are rendered with a remarkable sense of movement as they dart through the water, creating vortices and rippling waves, the sparkle of their inlaid eyes effectively enhancing the sense of verisimilitude. The design is elegantly and gracefully disposed, and the asymmetrical shape of the bottle is perfectly balanced by the placement of the fish.
The original stopper, with its three different materials and its gentle, rounded form, adds considerably to the overall work of art, the yellowish mother-of-pearl complimenting the inlaid eyes of the fish.
In this superb example, the fish are rendered with a remarkable sense of movement as they dart through the water, creating vortices and rippling waves, the sparkle of their inlaid eyes effectively enhancing the sense of verisimilitude. The design is elegantly and gracefully disposed, and the asymmetrical shape of the bottle is perfectly balanced by the placement of the fish.
The original stopper, with its three different materials and its gentle, rounded form, adds considerably to the overall work of art, the yellowish mother-of-pearl complimenting the inlaid eyes of the fish.