Page 66 - Christie's Chinese Snuff Bottled the Holden Collection March 24, 2022

847
AN INSIDE-PAINTED ROCK CRYSTAL SNUFF BOTTLE
SIGNED MA SHAOXUAN, DATED TO THE THIRD MONTH OF THE WUXU YEAR,
CORRESPONDING TO 1898
Of rounded rectangular form, the bottle is painted on one side with old and tattered inscribed
paper items, including envelopes, books and rubbings, and with a passage excerpted from a Tang
dynasty historical chronicle on the reverse.
25 in. (6.5 cm.) high, pink tourmaline stopper
$10,000-15,000
PROVENANCE:
The Mary and George Bloch Collection, Hong Kong.
Robert Kleiner, London, 1992.
Rachelle R. Holden Collection, New York.
LITERATURE:
N. Berliner, Orientations, February, 1992, p. 70.
R. Holden, Rivers and Mountains Far From the World - The Rachelle R. Holden Collection, A Personal
Commentary, New York, 1994, pp. 314-315, no. 139.

The calligraphy on the reverse side of this bottle is transcribed from the famous Tang stele by
Ouyang Xun called Jiu Cheng Gong li quan ming (The Sweet Spring of Jiucheng Palace). Ouyang
Xun (AD 557-641) was one of the four masters of the early Tang. The paintings on the other
side include burnt and torn examples of the Jin Hui Dui and include a fan-shaped painting by
Yun Shouping, calligraphy from the book entitled Zuo Zhong Tang (a famous general), a torn
book entitled Si Shu (essential reading for scholars), and an envelope inscribed You Shanghai Ji
(posted from Shanghai).

For other Ma bottles painted with this subject see Ma Zengshan, Inside-Painted Snuff Bottle
Artist Ma Shaoxuan (1867-1939), Maryland, 1997, p. 33, fig. 8; (from the Collection of Mary
and George Bloch); p. 45, fig 22 (The Collection of Christopher C.H. Sin); and p. 80, fig. 80
(also the Collection of Mary and George Bloch), the author notes on p. 80: "Ma was especially
fond of the calligraphic style of Ouyang Xun. More than once he copied on one side of a bottle
the first few sentences of Ouyang's 'An Account of the Sweet Spring in the Palace of Nine
Accomplishments' which produced extremely satisfactory results. In addition, Ma liked to paint
'Pictures of Antiquities' (Bogu tu) and 'Pictures of Longevity' (Baisui tu). The former illustrates a
collection of antique vessels, tiles, calligraphic specimens, paintings, books, and correspondence.
The latter depicts a collage of damaged objects. The fragmentary (sui) state of these numerous
(bai) burnt, broken, rotten, or torn objects calls to mind a homonym meaning 'year.' Thus, the
image of a number of broken (Baisui) objects actually constitutes a rebus having the auspicious
meaning of wishing someone might enjoy a long life. Both types of composition incorporate
characters which are written out in a variety of scripts, including the writing style used for
inscriptions on ancient bronzes, big seal, running and regular. In imitating these scripts one
must first acquire a sound training in calligraphy. Such renditions, therefore, should also be
regarded as another form of Ma's calligraphic works."

戊戌年(1898) 馬少宣作水晶內畫百歲圖鼻煙壺
來源:
瑪麗及莊智博珍藏, 香港
Robert Kleiner, 倫敦, 1992年
何瑞秋珍藏, 紐約
出版:
N. Berliner, 《Orientations》, 1992年2月, 頁70
何瑞秋, 《Rivers and Mountains Far from the World - The Rachelle R. Holden Collection, A Personal
Commentary》, 紐約, 1994年, 頁314-315, 編號139

64

document13283323126295017438.indd 64 2/17/2022 9:57:03 PM