Page 43 - Bonhams Art from the Scholar's Studio, September 16, 2013 NY

8069 8070

8069 8070
A nephrite snuff bottle with coin motif A nephrite jade snuff bottle
Late 19th century 1760-1840
Of upright form with a flat lip and concave foot, the front carved in The compressed globular body raised on an oval foot rim, with a cylindrical
low relief with a spade coin with archaic characters, reversed by two neck, concave lip and small mouth, the mottled ivory colored stone carved
overlapping circular coins, one with characters the other with a celestial with three horizontal bands of characters in seal script, the upper and lower
landscape, the stone mottled with chocolate brown spots. bands incised in intaglio, the center band in relief, the base with an incised
2 1/4in (5.7cm) high two character inscription in seal script reading “Zhizheng”.
$3,000 - 5,000 2 1/4in (5.5cm) high
$4,000 - 6,000

Illustrated:
Bob C. Stevens The Collector’s Book of Snuff Bottles Tokyo, 1976,
number 366

The popularization and use of seal script characters on scholar objects
during the latter Qing dynasty is a direct result of the flourishing Evidential
Studies Movement (Kaozheng Xue) and the closely related Epigraphic
Studies Movement (Jinshi Xue), when scholars and amateur archaeologists
sought to study early examples of China’s linguistic roots. It is likely that
the script that appears on this bottle is taken from an early bronze vessel.

Chinese Art From The Scholar’s Studio | 41