Page 122 - Carl Barron Snuff Bottle Collection, CHRISTIE's Spet 12 2018

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AN INSIDE-PAINTED GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE
SIGNED MA SHAOXUAN, DATED YIWEI (1895)
One side is painted with fve butterfies amidst fowers and grasses below a short
inscription and the date, the reverse with a four-line calligraphic inscription noting
it was painted in the capital, with the artist’s name followed by a seal mark in red.
2¡ in. (6 cm.) high, aquamarine stopper
$10,000-12,000
PROVENANCE
Robert Kleiner, Belfont Company Ltd., Hong Kong, 1996.
Edgar and Roberta Prescott Wise Collection.
Ruth and Carl Barron Collection, Belmont, Massachusetts, no. 2050.
Ma Shaoxuan (1867-1939) was one of the most technically accomplished artists
of the Beijing school of snuf-bottle painting, which was founded by Zhou Leyuan
and included other leading artists, such as Ding Erzhong, Ye Zhongsan and Ziyizi.
The subject of butterfies is very auspicious, as they symbolized multitudes of blessings
including many descendants. For a discussion of the signifcance of butterfies,
see T. T. Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 32.
A bottle with similar design from the Muse Collection is illustrated by Clare Chu in
Chinese Snuf Bottles from Southern Californian Collectors, Hong Kong, 2016, pg. 74.
乙未年(1895) 馬少宣作玻璃內畫「百蝶圖」鼻煙壺

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