Bottle ID: 262

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DOUBLE GOURD

Date: 1821-1850

Height: 59 mm

Stoneware, of double gourd form, the clay of a dark brown color, painted in enamels with a pavilion nestling under a tall cliff with pines and a pink sun; on the reverse with a figure in a sampan rowing between islands with pine trees under the shadow of a blue mountain.

Attributed to Yixing.

Similar Examples:

Crane Collection no. 75
Low, Denis S. K. Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect III, 2007, p. 254, no. 221.
Hui, Humphrey K. F. and Christopher C. H. Sin. An Imperial Qing Tradition - Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Humphrey K. F. Hui and Christopher C. H. Sin, 1994, p. 51, no. 47.
Sotheby's, New York, March 23, 2004, lot 278, Collection of Lawrence and Florence Bier.

Provenance:

Robert Hall

The double gourd form is not unusual for snuff bottles, but rare in this material. This form was very popular amongst the literati with its association with Daoism and the symbolism of longevity. One of the most appealing features of Yixing ware is its leathery rich patina which gives the wares an organic look, not unlike the natural look of the gourd itself. This type of imitative flattery lends a subtle humor to the bottle which would not have escaped the collector of the day. The subject matter of the fisherman in his sampan rowing in a utopian landscape would have added to his delight in ownership of this miniature work of art with its myriad of levels of meaning.

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