Snuff Bottles from the Christopher Sin Collection
An inside-painted rock crystal 'figural' snuff bottle by Ma Shaoxuan, dated dingyou year, corresponding to 1897 | 丁酉 (1897年) 馬少宣作水晶內畫詩文人物圖鼻煙壺 《馬少宣》款 「少宣」印
Auction Closed
March 20, 05:40 PM GMT
Estimate
4,000 - 6,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
A dedication is inscribed on the bottle’s reverse and signed with the seals xuan, yin, and shaoxuan. The inscription reads: 'For the assessment of honourable and benevolent brother Gui Heng', stopper (2)
Height 2⅛ in., 5.5 cm
Humphrey Hui, An Addicted Dedication: Chinese Snuff bottles Christopher Sin's Collection, vol. II, Hong Kong, 2013, pl. 29.
出版：
許建勳，《An Addicted Dedication: Chinese Snuff bottles Christopher Sin's Collection》，卷二，香港，2013年，圖版29
Painted by artist Ma Shaoxuan and titled Xijian tu, or 'shoulder resting', the present rock crystal bottle features a flower vendor taking a break from carefully balancing baskets of flowers on either end of a long carrying pole. The flower vendor is a popular subject of the artist, who sought to depict scenes of daily life. Behind the figure, a fourteen-character couplet draws on the beauty of flowers and the joy of springtime. See a snuff bottle of this type from the Dr. Wou Kiuan Collection sold in our London rooms, 17th May 2023, lot 106.