Page 225 - Bonhams Chinese Art London May 2013

186 Two Views

185 186 Y
An inside-painted glass snuff bottle An inside-painted glass ‘fish’ snuff bottle

Chen Zhongsan, cyclically dated gengxu year (AD 1910) Ye Zhongsan, cyclically dated bingwu year (AD 1906)

Of flattened form, finely painted with a sage riding a donkey crossing a Vividly painted on one side with goldfish, black goldfish and carp

stone bridge in a wintry mountainous snow scene, accompanied by an swimming leisurely amidst water weeds below an inscription, the reverse

attendant carrying a double gourd, the reverse with a crane perching on with a solitary figure punting along a river surrounded by a windy

a branch among other intricate floral branches, inscribed and sealed at landscape of trees and mountains, with an inscription followed by the

the top left, amethyst stopper. seal Yin, hardstone stopper.
5.8cm (2 1/3in) high (2). 7cm (2 4/5in) high (2).
£3,000 - 5,000 £4,000 - 6,000
HK$35,000 - 59,000 CNY28,000 - 47,000 HK$47,000 - 71,000 CNY38,000 - 56,000

玻璃內畫踏雪尋梅圖鼻煙壺 玻璃內畫魚藻紋鼻煙壺
陳仲三，1910年作 葉仲三，1906年作

Provenance: A European private collection and thence by descent Provenance: A European private collection and thence by descent

來源：歐洲私人收藏，並由家族繼承下去 來源：歐洲私人收藏，並由家族繼承下去

The subject of the present lot can be interpreted as the story of Ye Zhongsan (1869-1945), one of the three masters of inside-painted
‘searching plum blossoms in snow’ by Meng Haoren or ‘Visit to Zhuge snuff bottles, was skilled in a wide range of subjects including
Liang’ by Liu Bei, one of the scenes in the Romance of the Three landscapes, birds and flowers and figure paintings. Goldfish in a pond
Kingdoms. The style of painting of the present lot follows that of Ma setting is one of Ye’s favourite themes. Fish in a pond together with a
Shaoxuan. carp is one of the unusual examples, as in the present lot. Compare an
example in the Humphrey K.F.Hui Collection illustrated by H.Hui, S.Y.Lai
and P.Lam, Inkplay in Microcosm: Inside-painted Chinese Snuff Bottles:
The Humphrey K.F.Hui Collection, Hong Kong, 2002, no.83.

Fish (魚 yu) is a pun for abundance, plenty or surplus (餘 yu), which is an
auspicious motif in Chinese culture.

Fine Chinese Art | 221