AN INSIDE-INSCRIBED CRYSTAL SNUFF BOTTLE YIRU JUSHI, 1808, COLOPHON BY WANG XISAN, 1990

Kaynes-Klitz Collection.
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 30th October 1990, lot 199.

Robert Kleiner, Boda Yang, and Clarence F. Shangraw, Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Miniature Art from the Collection of George and Mary Bloch, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 298.
National Museum of Singapore, Singapore, 1994-1995.
Christie’s London, 1999.

Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 4, Hong Kong, 2000, no. 442.

Bottle: Smoothed out chip on the outer lip, two further smaller chips. Abrasions to the surface from wear, particulary evident around the base of the neck. Painting: The characters were faded, and were touched up by Wang Xisan, who added his signature as having done so. Snuff staining and some scratches from the spoon.
"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."

When this example was acquired for the Bloch Collection in October 1990, Wang Xisan, the leading modern inside-painted artist, agreed to restore the partially worn inscription. The original state can be seen in the Sotheby’s catalogue illustration.

The text on the side with Wang’s additional inscription is in eight four-syllable lines; lines 2 and 4 rhyme with each other; lines 6 and 8 rhyme with each other.

菩提無樹，明鏡非臺。本來具足，何有塵埃。語言文字，實皆緒餘。內外澂徹，廓然太虛。

The Bodhi tree—there is no tree;
The bright mirror—there is no stand.
From the beginning, you are complete;
How can there be dust [on the mirror]?
Languages and writing
Are but left-over lint.
Your inner and outer are quiet and clear:
The void [within] and the Great Emptiness. 

The poem consists of quotations and near-quotations from centuries of Buddhist and even Neo-Confucian philosophy. Suffice it to say that the first two lines, an oft-quoted set phrase from at least the Song dynasty, enjoin us not to cling to concepts. One should not be fixated on the Bodhi tree under which the historical Buddha achieved enlightenment; the mirror of the mind need not be cleaned of dust so that it can reflect reality perfectly because the mind itself is only a mental construct. Language, especially written language, is only the trace of what has already gone away, and if one can achieve perfect equanimity and empty oneself, one becomes equal to the universe itself (the Great Emptiness). This last point is an idea from Ming and Qing philosophical discourse: the enlightened mind and the entire world are as one, tong ti 同體.

On the side signed Banshan, the poem is the same one the artist used on Sale 2, lot 124 and Sale 7, lot 77:

Brought from beyond the seas, this herb of the immortals from beyond the passes:
Its flavour in the bottle can be endlessly praised.
At the early court, one sniff clears the mind and eyes;
On a night journey, a tiny scoop will protect one from the pestilential vapours.

Wang Xisan’s restoration here is an astonishing feat of steady-handed confidence. The majority of the characters needed some touching up, and some were almost completely worn away, and yet Wang has managed to create an impression of continuity in ink tones, line, and energy. Under magnification one can see where he has added ink and the extraordinary skill with which he did it.