Page 226 - Bonhams Asian Art London November 5, 2020

235 (front and reverse)
236

235 236 Y Ф
AN INSIDE-PAINTED GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE A RARE CINNABAR-RED OVERLAY WHITE GLASS DOUBLE-
Ding Erzhong (1865-1935), cyclically dated to the winter of Jihai, GOURD SHAPED ‘LIUHAI’ SNUFF BOTTLE
corresponding to 1899 and of the period Yangzhou School, mid Qing Dynasty
Finely painted on one side with two cranes standing on rockwork under The double-gourd finely carved around the sides in relief in opaque
a gnarled pine tree amongst grass and flower sprays, inscribed 己亥冬月 red with trailing vines suspending eleven smaller double-gourds, the
二仲寫 Jihai dongyue erzhong xie, which may be translated as ‘Erzhong front decorated with the Daoist immortal Liuhai dangling a string of
painted in the winter month of the year of Jihai’, the other side painted cash in front of the three-legged toad above an inscription, the reverse
with a pagoda amidst wind-swept trees in a mountainous landscape, with five seated sages below an inscription, all reserved on an opaque
inscribed 筱舫觀察大人雅鑒 二仲 庾, which may be translated as white glass, glass stopper, ivory spoon. 8.4cm (3 5/16in) high (2).
‘Erzhong, Yu, for the elegant judgment of Xiaofang, the honourable
Surveillance Commissioner’, with stopper. 6.1cm (2 3/8in) high (2).
£2,000 - 3,000
CNY18,000 - 26,000
£3,000 - 5,000
CNY26,000 - 44,000
清中期 揚州作白地套漆紅料雕仙人圖葫蘆形鼻煙壺

一八九九年 丁二仲作玻璃內畫山水花鳥鼻煙壺 Provenance: an English private collection, and thence by descent

Provenance: an English private collection, and thence by descent 來源：英國私人收藏，並由後人保存迄今

來源：英國私人收藏，並由後人保存迄今 The side with Liuhai is inscribed:
赤腳蓬頭不計年，十洲三島任蹁躚。蓬萊久隔人間世，常伴金蟾會
Compare with a very similar inside-painted glass snuff bottle by Ding 眾仙。which may be translated as: ‘Cannot count the years whilst
Erzhong, cyclically dated to 1899 and decorated with the same barefoot and unkempt, traveling freely crossing ten oceans and three
scenes, illustrated by H.Moss, V.Graham and K.B.Tsang, A Treasury islands. The Immortal island Penglai is so far away from the mortal
of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection. world, meeting with Immortals accompanied by a golden toad’.
Inside Painted, vol.4, part 2, pp.312-313, no.555, where the authors
describe the bottle as an example demonstrating Ding at his height The side with the sages is inscribed:
and the painting as masterpieces of their subjects. This bottle was later 手持太極探玄解，五老峰頭不記年。Which may be translated as:
sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 May 2010, lot 62. ‘Exploring the unknown with a tai chi graph in hand. Living at the top
of Wulao Peak one cannot count the passing years’.
Ding Erzhong is the ‘zi’ name, or sobriquet of Ding Shangyu, a Qing
dynasty scholar official from Tongzhou in Jiangsu province, who was
also a calligrapher, seal carver, painter and master of inside-painted
snuff bottles. He renewed the art form, drawing on Tang, Song, Yuan
and Ming paintings as inspiration for his own works, of which no two
bottles are ever the same.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
224 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.