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Lot Essay
This finely carved snuff bottle is superbly hollowed. The design is masterful and cleverly utilizes the darker inclusions on one side to show a barefooted foreigner with long hair holding a sword as well as a long lead that is fastened to the nose of a mythical beast (xiezhai) crouching before him. On the opposite side the dark markings are used to depict a seated feline, likely a tiger, looking down a clump of asters and a bat hovering above.
Foreigners bearing tributes were known in China since at least Han times, and depictions of tribute bearers on Chinese works of art increased in the 18th century across mediums. The beast that appears with the figure was likely considered an exotic creature coming from beyond China’s borders, and contemporary paintings show foreigners in processions bringing a variety of creatures to present as tributes to the Qing court. H. Moss et al. in The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, vol. I, New York, 1993, p. 249, suggest that the feline animal on the opposite side is likely a tiger as the three very distinct lines carved across the backbone of the figure were probably intended to create the character wang (king), which was traditionally placed on the tiger’s forehead in Chinese depictions. Overall, the natural markings on either side are used effectively and create an elegantly balanced design. The sensitively carved details of the figures are best realized by close inspection and by handling the bottle, which retains its lovely glossy surface.
Foreigners bearing tributes were known in China since at least Han times, and depictions of tribute bearers on Chinese works of art increased in the 18th century across mediums. The beast that appears with the figure was likely considered an exotic creature coming from beyond China’s borders, and contemporary paintings show foreigners in processions bringing a variety of creatures to present as tributes to the Qing court. H. Moss et al. in The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, vol. I, New York, 1993, p. 249, suggest that the feline animal on the opposite side is likely a tiger as the three very distinct lines carved across the backbone of the figure were probably intended to create the character wang (king), which was traditionally placed on the tiger’s forehead in Chinese depictions. Overall, the natural markings on either side are used effectively and create an elegantly balanced design. The sensitively carved details of the figures are best realized by close inspection and by handling the bottle, which retains its lovely glossy surface.