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Lot Essay
The imagery on this bottle is highly auspicious. The construction of the rebus is formed by the monkey (hou) on a sack (dai) with a wasp (feng), which produce the phrase dai fenghou, 'May generations of your family be ennobled as marquises'. The peony held in the monkey's paw is symbolic of riches and honor, and it adds to the auspicious wish. Compare with two other nephrite bottles from the J & J Collection carved with the same subject-matter, illustrated by Moss et. al., The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, New York, 1993, nos. 16 and 17.
The carver of this superb bottle has brilliantly allowed the original shape of the small skin-covered pebble of white nephrite to dictate the form to a considerable extent. The result is an added dimension of color and texture and an emphasis on the abstract qualities of simple forms rather than complex surface detail. This is particularly apparent on the back of the bottle where the shape of the sack is offset by the exquisitely positioned monkey, perfectly rebalancing the asymmetry of the sack itself.
There are other snuff bottles decorated with the same subject matter, including one illustrated P. L. Friedman, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Pamela Leasing Friedman Collection, p. 90, no. 67; one illustrated by R. Holden, Rivers and Mountains Far From the World, p. 154; one sold in our New York rooms, 3 June 1993, lot 324; a white jade example from the J & J Collection, illustrated by Moss et. al., The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, vol. 1, no. 16; and another also from the J & J Collection, carved from yellow jade, sold in these rooms, 30 March 2005, lot 26.
The carver of this superb bottle has brilliantly allowed the original shape of the small skin-covered pebble of white nephrite to dictate the form to a considerable extent. The result is an added dimension of color and texture and an emphasis on the abstract qualities of simple forms rather than complex surface detail. This is particularly apparent on the back of the bottle where the shape of the sack is offset by the exquisitely positioned monkey, perfectly rebalancing the asymmetry of the sack itself.
There are other snuff bottles decorated with the same subject matter, including one illustrated P. L. Friedman, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Pamela Leasing Friedman Collection, p. 90, no. 67; one illustrated by R. Holden, Rivers and Mountains Far From the World, p. 154; one sold in our New York rooms, 3 June 1993, lot 324; a white jade example from the J & J Collection, illustrated by Moss et. al., The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, vol. 1, no. 16; and another also from the J & J Collection, carved from yellow jade, sold in these rooms, 30 March 2005, lot 26.