A CARVED LIME-GREEN GLAZED PORCELAIN ‘LANDSCAPE’ SNUFF BOTTLE WANG JIEMEI, LATE QING DYNASTY / EARLY REPUBLICAN PERIOD

with a flat lip and recessed flat foot surrounded by a protruding convex footrim, carved with a continuous scene of a gorge, on one main side with a figure in a boat sailing in the gorge on a river into which a creek flows under a small plank bridge in the foreground, and on the other main side with a more prominent foreground landscape of rocks and tall trees, one bare, the other pine, both screening off whatever far view of cliffs or river there might have been on the left side of the picture, and two joined, tiled-roof houses in the middle ground, one with a tiny figure visible in a room open to the viewer; the foot signed in relief seal script, Wang Jiemei zuo (‘Made by Wang Jiemei’); with a carnelian stopper

Collection of Galia Baylin.
Sotheby's New York, 3rd October 1980, lot 102.
Collection of Joseph Baruch Silver.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 1st November 1995, lot 953.

Chinese snuff bottles from the collection of Joseph Baruch Silver, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1987, cat. no. 64.
A Congregation of Snuff Bottle Connoisseurs: An Exhibition of Chinese Snuff Bottles at the Tsui Museum of Art, Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1996, cat. no. 125.

Wang Jinhai, Biyanhu jianshang yu shoucang, Shanghai, 1996, p. 119.
Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 6, Hong Kong, 2007, no. 1364.

There is a tiny chip to the trunk of one tree and some minor surface abrasions from use, otherwise the snuff bottle is in overall very good condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present snuff bottle is believed to be made by Wang Fan (1843-1923), whose studio name was Jiemei. Wang Fan was one of the preeminent ceramic artists active in Jingdezhen during the Republican period, and belonged to the famous group known as Zhushan Ba You (‘Eight Friends of Zhushan’). Unfortunately, only a few snuff bottles bearing the signature Wang Jiemei have survived. Compare a white carved porcelain example of similar form sold in Bonham’s Hong Kong, 27th May 2012, lot 144. These bottles are often deftly and finely carved in low relief with landscape resembling literati paintings.