1740-1850

A bottle of this design, and possibly by the same workshop, is illustrated by H. Moss, V. Graham and K. B. Tsang in The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle: The J & J Collection, New York, 1993, p. 58, no. 17, as well as two other related bottles of this subject, pp. 56-57 and p. 59, nos. 16 and 18. The subject is laden with auspicious symbolism; the monkey (hou) and the bag (dai) represent a wish for descendants (houdai), while the sash (shoudai) suggests longevity. The peony, known as the 'king of flowers', is also a symbol of love and affection, feminine beauty and springtime. Additionally, Terese Tse Bartholomew discusses in Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, San Francisco, 2006, p.123, that "as the 'King of the Flowers,' the peony is equivalent to the first rank among officials. This flower is closely associated with royalty because it was grown in the imperial gardens of the Sui and Tang dynasties."