SCHOOL OF ZHITING, SUZHOU, 1730-1820

Details

**A SUPERB CAMEO AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE
SCHOOL OF ZHITING, SUZHOU, 1730-1820
Of compressed ovoid form with a flat foot, ingeniously carved utilizing the various colors in the material with a continuous scene of a rocky landscape profuse with lingzhi, in which a Daoist sage, holding a hoe over his right shoulder, strolls past a pair of large doors framed by rocks and billowing clouds which enclose the entire scene from above, a relief inscription in draft script to one side reading "Picture of picking lingzhi," agate stopper with integral finial and collar, additional vinyl collar
2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm.) high

Provenance

Hugh M. Moss Ltd.
Irving Lindzon
Christie's, London, 12 October 1987, lot 326
Claude Smith, 1988

Literature

Christie's International Magazine, September-October 1987, p. 29
JICSBS, Winter 1987, p. 28, fig. 8
Arts of Asia, January-February 1988, p. 128, lot 326
JICSBS, Autumn 1988, front cover
The Lyle Official Antiques Review, 1989, p. 728, fig. 5
Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle. The J & J Collection, Vol. I, no. 141
The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, Poly Art Museum, p. 39

Exhibited

Christie's, New York, 1993
Empress Place Museum, Singapore, 1994
Museum für 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

Special notice

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.

Lot Essay

There are many masterpieces of the Suzhou school, but few in the chalcedony range are more impressive than this bottle. The consummate creativity of the artist is displayed by his use of the material, with every area of color brilliantly employed in the design.
The figure depicted on this bottle is probably intended to be a Daoist sage gathering sacred fungi from a trove of lingzhi of exaggerated size, his hoe held over his shoulder. The Daoist adept had a keen knowledge of medicinal herbs and edible fungi, and a day's outing in the wilderness, where he could commune with the Dao, was an ideal way to pass the time. Hallucinogenic, or "magic," mushrooms played a significant role in the search for communion with cosmic forces in China, particularly among recluses and Daoists.
The lingzhi (Ganoderma lucidum) is a woody fungus. A symbol of longevity, it was attributed with many medicinal qualities and was an ingredient in certain potions of immortality, strengthening this association.

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