MASTER OF THE ROCKS SCHOOL, 1750-1850

As noted in the discussion to lot 423, the Master of the Rocks school seems to have specialized in jade bottles carved with landscapes. However, there is a small group within the school, carved with imperial themes such as chi dragons and, as seen here, Buddhist lions and mask-and-ring handles, that suggest a Court connection.

For a related a grey nephrite bottle in the Bloch collection and a discussion of this small group see Moss, Graham, Tsang , A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, the Mary and George Bloch Collection, Vol. 1, Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 340-42.