Page 42 - Bonhams Sept 2016 Snuff Bottles

9071 9071
AN ENAMELED PORCELAIN ‘FICTIONAL
9072 (two views) FIGURES’ SNUFF BOTTLE
40 | BONHAMS Imperial, Jingdezhen kilns, Daoguang mark
and of the period 1821-1850
Of compressed ovoid form, with overglaze
polychrome enamels depicting a continuous
riverscape with figures in boats, with a four-
character mark in seal script to the foot.
2 1/2in (6.3cm) high

US$3,000 - 5,000

The scene depicted is an episode from
Romance of the Three Kingdoms and
illustrates the great military strategist Zhuge
Liang sailing through a morning fog to capture
100,000 arrows from the rival general Cao
Cao. Here a figure stands on the stern beating
a war drum, goading Cao Cao’s troops to
launch arrows at the false attack, while Zhuge
Liang drinks wine with Lu Su in the boat’s
cabin. The adage cao chuan jie jian 草船借剑
(borrow arrows using straw boats) expresses
an ability to use the strength of others for
one’s own means.

1821-1850 清道光 御製瓷胎施彩三國演義’草
船借箭’鼻煙壺
《道光年製》礬紅篆書款

9072
AN ENAMELED PORCELAIN HU-FORM
SNUFF BOTTLE
Qianlong mark, Jingdezhen kilns, 1821-1850
Of archaic bronze hu form with a rounded
everted lip, supported by an unglazed oval
foot rim, one side enameled with doves and
orchid, reversed by a pekingese pup with
bamboo, with an apocryphal four-character
iron-red Qianlong mark to the foot.
2 1/2in (6.4cm) high

US$2,500 - 4,000

The pekingese dog and dove motif was
popularly seen on enameled porcelain
snuff bottles from the Daoguang period. As
noted by Humprhey Hui in An Imperial Qing
Tradition, Hong Kong, 1994, p. 18 the dog
and dove are “two friends” of the scholar.

乾隆款 1821-1850 瓷胎粉彩蘭花動物’壺’形
鼻煙壺