Bottle ID: 625
PEBBLE FORM WITH INSCRIBED LANDSCAPE
Date: 1750-1820
Height: 65 mm
Amber, of irregular pebble form, well hollowed and of rich clear amber-brown tones, incised with a continuous landscape scene of a fisherman on a river with a figure standing on a bank under pine surrounded by craggy massive rocks and mountains with pavilions nestled in the hills.
Similar Examples:
Crane Collection no.s 725 and 760
Provenance:
Asian Art Studio
Bonhams & Butterfield, Los Angeles, CA.
Jean Perkins
Amber snuff bottles seem to have been a popular choice in the Qing Dynasty and also with snuff bottle collectors today, as there are a reasonable amount in the major published collections. Amber was easily carved and other bottles in the Crane Collection and in other collections show vibrant and skillful use of the material. However, no similar examples could be found where the bottle has been incised with a landscape in the same style as the Crane bottle. It is nearer in execution to the very few soapstone or lacquer bottles that are decorated in this way. The only conclusion is that this bottle was originally commissioned by a scholar who appreciated the miniature landscape that he could lose himself in, much in the same literati way that he might enjoy a larger scroll painting of a mountainous landscape scene.
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