An unusual carved agate snuff bottle. Suzhou, 1740-1860

Of well-hollowed, compressed form with a concave lip and recessed oval foot surrounded by a footrim, carved with a continuous landscape with a scholar and his young attendant near a pavilion surrounded by pierced rockwork, with a deer and mythical beast nearby, and a bird perched on a branch, with an incised inscription in clerical script and a second in draft script followed by the seal nian ('to read out loud' or 'ponder') in positive seal script, one area of the neck carved with a small wisp of clouds, glass stopper with gilt-metal collar
2 in. (6.75 in.) high  - Estimate: $50,000 - $60,000

Provenance : Cortwright Wetherill
Sotheby's, New York, 22 November 1988, lot 368

Literature : Sotheby's Newsletter, November 1988, p. 7
Arts of Asia, May-June 1989, p. 149, lot 368
Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle. The J & J Collection, Vol. 1, no. 142

Exhibited : 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 inscription in clerical script may be translated as: "The great creative force is accumulated in the remote mountains and rivers. It roams about on earth as an immortal with shaggy eyebrows and hoary hair."

The inscription in draft script may be translated as: "A spring sprig of the foremost among a hundred flowers."

The 'great creative force' is a reference to the Dao, and is the sustaining source of all meaning, transcending all concepts. It is accessible through the enlightenment of the mystic, when individual self-consciousness gives way to cosmic consciousness. The sage, the worldly manifestation of the Dao roaming the earth, is depicted as seated in meditation in a scholar's garden, with blossoming prunus and rock sculptures. The deer is a symbol of immortality, and appears at ease with the mythical beast, a reflection of the harmony disseminated by the sage. The prunus, 'foremost among a hundred flowers', is a symbol of perseverance and fortitude, because it bursts into glorious blossom in the depths of winter.

The confident handling of the beautifully textured material and different tones of color on varying planes, and the sculptural quality of the carving are features traditionally associated with the Suzhou school.

Christie's. Important Chinese Snuff Bottles from the J&jJ Collection, part V. 17 September 2008. New York, Rockefeller Plaza. www.christies.com