**A SUPERBLY CARVED AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE

SCHOOL OF ZHITING, SUZHOU, 1760-1860

Details

**A SUPERBLY CARVED AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE
SCHOOL OF ZHITING, SUZHOU, 1760-1860
Of compressed spherical form with flat lip and small irregularly-shaped flat foot, finely carved with clever use of the different-colored areas of the translucent stone, on one side a scholar is shown seated and fishing on the bank of a river, beside a plantain tree with dark green leaves, his hat and robes highlighted by the dark brown areas in the stone, as are the clusters of needles of the pine tree on the opposite rocky shore, on the other main side an attendant prepares tea between two rock faces while a deer, carved from a white area, peers at him over a rocky ledge, with a four-character inscription, song xi yin sheng ("A scenic spot hidden amidst pines and streams"), carved from a brown area in the rock to the left, stained agate stopper with silver collar
2 3/8 (6 cm.) high

Provenance

Hugh M. Moss Collection.
Hugh Moss Ltd., purchased in the 1970s.

Exhibited

Canadian Craft Museum, Vancouver, 1992.

Lot Essay

See the footnote to lot 621 for a discussion of Suzhou as a cultural and carving center.

A transcendent masterpiece of Qing hardstone carving, this exceptional bottle combines inspired use of material with masterful control of the medium. Genius in interpreting different colored marking in stones relies upon the ability of the artist to give the impression that he has not been constrained in any way by the material. The remarkable stone, with its green and white inclusions in addition to the more conventional russet, honey-beige and brown, is used with considerable imagination and to great effect. Particularly noteworthy are the different planes of color used to represent the leaves of the plantain tree, and the deer carved from the white area on the reverse, showing off the consummate creativity of the artist.

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