IMPERIAL, JINGDEZHEN KILNS, DAOGUANG FOUR-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN IRON RED AND OF THE PERIOD (1821-1850)

The katydid, either alone or with its cage, became a very popular subject on snuff bottles during the early nineteenth century. An emblem of courage, the katydid in Chinese is pronounced guoguo which sounds the same as the word 'country'. The rebus is interpreted as jinzhong baoguo, meaning 'to be loyal to one's country'. Large quantities of imperially made bottles were presented to officials around the country as a sign of imperial recognition. Such a pun would have been a subtle and effective way of reminding officials of an essential feature of Confucian government. Another reason for the popularity of the katydid imagery is linked to the production of cricket and katydid cages and the popular pastime of katydid fights.

Another Daoguang-marked bottle, painted with the katydid on the cage on one side, and a single katydid on the reverse, is illustrated by Moss, Graham, Tsang, in A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, The Mary and George Bloch Collection, Vol. 6, Part 3, Hong Kong, 2008, pp. 690-1, no. 1318. Another Daoguang-marked bottle with a single katydid on each side was sold at Christie’s New York, 13-14 September 2012, lot 1161.