A very rare and unusual jade pebble snuff bottle, Suzhou 1680-1780

Of compressed form with a slightly convex lip and flat oval foot, the well-hollowed bottle carved with a continuous rocky landscape with plantains and a wutong tree, the other side with a seated scholar holding a qin on his lap, the figure seated before a rocky outcrop acting as a table upon which rests a brazier with a tea-kettle and a smoking censer, amber stopper, jadeite finial and vinyl collar
2 in. (6.31 cm.) high  - Estimate : $90,000 - $120,000

Provenance : Honor Smith
Sotheby's, London, 5 December 1983, lot 285
Hugh M. Moss Ltd.

Literature : B. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, no. 396
Arts of Asia, May-June 1984, p. 102, lot 285
100 Selected Chinese Snuff Bottles from the J & J Collection, no. 92
Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle. The J & J Collection, Vol. 1, no. 21
Arts of Asia, November-December 1995, p. 128
Silver Kris, January 1997, p. 50, fig. 8
The Art of Chinese Snuff Bottle, Poly Art Museum, p. 18

Exhibited: Christie's, London, 1987
Christie's, New York, 1993
Empress Place Museum, Singapore, 1994
Museum für Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt, 1996-1997
Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1997
Naples Museum of Art, Florida, 2002
Portland Museum of Art, Oregon, 2002
National Museum of History, Taipei, 2002
International Asian Art Fair, Seventh Regiment Armory, New York, 2003
Poly Art Museum, Beijing, 2003

Notes : The high-relief carving and serrated rockwork, combined with the effective use of skin and other natural coloring of materials is a key feature of the group represented by this bottle. See Yang Boda, "Jade. Emperor Ch'ien Lung's Collection in the Palace Museum, Peking", Arts of Asia, March-April 1992, where the author states, "...that the rusted skin of the jade obtained from river beds was highlighted to enhance the beauty of the piece. For instance, in carving jade mountains, the skin part was reserved for the mountain slopes and woods while the white core was used to depict the running rivers and waterfalls." This use of natural material added interest to the carved decoration and realism to the landscapes, while avoiding wastage of the raw material. The author also discusses the Qianlong Emperor's interest in the jade market of Suzhou's Zhuanzhu Lane, the largest jade center in China. Suzhou's geographical position on the Imperial canal, combined with its gardens and canals, also led to its role as one of the main cultural centers in China. Many painters, calligraphers, poets and musicians lived in Suzhou, and their pursuits and interests form the main subject matter of the group of agate and jade snuff bottles intricately carved in a style unique to the area. Such artistic developments resulted in eighteenth-century Imperial agents scouring the area for intriguing products to satisfy an Imperial passion for novelty in art.

Christie's. Important chinese snuff bottles from the j&j collection,part v. 17 September 2008. New York, Rockefeller Plaza. www.christies.com