Page 104 - Ruth and Carl Barron Snuff Bottles September 2016

•Ψ569
A CARVED AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE
ZHITING SCHOOL, SUZHOU, 1760-1860
The bottle is deeply carved through dark areas on one side with a
horse standing on a cliff between a bat and a pine tree, with a scholar
resting beside a rock below, with mottled whitish inclusions showing
in the translucent honey-toned stone. The opposite side is carved
with a fisherman seated on a rock and pulling a fish on his line from
waves, with a three-character inscription above reading de li tu (‘to
reap profit’).

2¿ in. (6.3 cm.) high, jadeite stopper

$24,000-30,000

PROVENANCE

Galia Baylin Collection, Hong Kong.
Eric Young Collection.
Rachell R. Holden Collection.
Sara Jo and Arthur Kobacker Collection, Ohio, no. 63.
Robert Hall, London, 2011.
Ruth and Carl Barron Collection, Belmont, Massachusetts, no. 5201.

The town of Suzhou, famous for its gardens and canals, was one of
the main cultural centers in China, attracting painters, calligraphers,
poets, musicians and other talented individuals. Their pursuits
comprise the main subject matter of the group of acclaimed snuff
bottles intricately carved from agate and jade.

A similar well-hollowed Suzhou agate bottle with a seated scholar
is illustrated by M. Hughes in Small Treasures: The Art Institute of
Chicago, Chinese Snuff Bottles, Hong Kong, 2015, pp. 46-47, no. 32.
䍆䉄፨爳爰‫ה‬蚉⇢䉑㌁⥘聖㌉

(another view)

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