AN INSIDE-PAINTED GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE BY ZHOU LEYUAN

of flattened rectangular form with shoulders sloping to a slightly flared neck, resting on a neatly carved oval foot, painted to the inside with ink and colors, depicting a continuous scene of a pond and the adjoining bank, one face painted with various fish swimming among short water weeds and lotus pads, including gold and black carp, the reverse featuring the banks of the pond set with a fluttering dragonfly and grasshoppers, beneath a three column inscription with a two-character red seal

Gerry P. Mack Collection.
Christie's South Kensington, 4th October 1999, lot 43.
Vanessa F. Holden.

Pigment is intact, in over all good condition with the exception of minor abrasions to the rim and foot as expected with use.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Another bottle by Zhou also depicting fish in a pond, but with a date corresponding to 1891, is illustrated by Rachelle R. Holden, Rivers and Mountains Far From the World. The Rachelle R. Holden Collection, A Personal Commentary, New York, 1994, pp. 188-189, no. 81.

Zhou, having painted this in the winter months, may have chosen the motif of carp, as the fish is known to endure in the harshest of weather and symbolizes the persevering scholar.