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Lot Essay
One of the great masterpieces of the medium, this bottle is almost certainly by the same hand as lot 4. Although the present bottle depicts a Chinese subject, the figures on both bottles are remarkably similar, each displaying an identical perfect blend of line and illusionist shading. See, for example, the use of outlines on the robes of the two dandies in lot 4, particularly the one with the blue coat, and the bold use of black on each bottle as a solid block of color to depict specific objects as well as to lend formal weight to the composition. Most compelling, however, is the technique used in painting the faces, all of which are partly outlined in sepia and then washed on one side to give an illusion of shadow. The lips in both cases are also similarly described with a single red line for the upper lip and a small dot beneath for the lower. The facial personalities of all the figures are also very close, as evidenced by the slightly quizzical expressions of the scholar and the European girl.
Both bottles also display superbly arranged compositions making effective use of the figures in leading the eye. Both have the same sense of a specific significant moment frozen in time by the artist, and both are continuous scenes framed by a shallow foot border and a deeper neck and shoulder border.
Both bottles also display superbly arranged compositions making effective use of the figures in leading the eye. Both have the same sense of a specific significant moment frozen in time by the artist, and both are continuous scenes framed by a shallow foot border and a deeper neck and shoulder border.