Bottle ID: 154

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CHINESE RED WITH GILDING

Date: 1750-1800

Height: 63 mm

 

Cinnabar lacquer on wood, of flattened shield shape, with a flared neck, carved in relief with on one side a sage and his attendant carrying a lingzhi fungus branch walking through a mountainous landscape amidst pine trees and rock work, the reverse with a similar scene, the neck with a shou medallion surrounded by diaper patterns, the oval base carved with a shou medallion, the lacquer carved in layers to the lightly gilded wood ground.
Possibly Imperial, attributed to the Palace Workshops, Beijing.

 

Similar Examples:

Snuff Bottles - The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Vol. 47, Beijing, 2003, p. 257, no. 394.
Moss, Hugh, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang. A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles - The Mary and George Bloch Collection, Vol. 7, Part 1, pp. 192-193, no. 1542.
Moss, Hugh, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang. The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle - The J & J Collection, 1993, Vol. 11, pp. 529-530, no. 311 and pp. 531-532, no. 312.

 

 

Provenance:

Clare Lawrence Ltd.
Joseph Baruch Silver

 

 

 

 

The use of cinnabar lacquer was extensively developed by the Chinese over the centuries and the majority of eighteenth century snuff bottles seem to follow a similar style and subject matter of figures in a mountainous landscape carved in high relief on a shield-shaped wood body. However, it is highly unusual to find the lacquer completely carved back to the wood ground as is the case with the Crane example. It is clearly deliberate as the ground has been subsequently gilded, creating a powerful and unusual backdrop for what otherwise would be a typical scene.

 

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