AN AGATE 'THREE RAMS' SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

Collection of Alice B. McReynolds.
Sotheby's New York, 16th April 1985, lot 95. 

Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 2, Hong Kong, 1998, no. 327.

Except for a minute nick to the top left curled lingzhi, the overall condition is very good.
"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."

This bottle is from the same general workshop as Sale 5, lot 136. There is a hint of genius in the ink-play of the three goats. The more common technique would be to have flanks and sometimes musculature indicated by sculpted or incised lines. However, the artist has allowed natural texturing of the rougher, striated, opaque beige relief to serve for the goats’ shaggy coats with a minimum of surface relief carving, such carving being confined mainly to the heads.  The three animals are, however simply rendered, superbly observed, and full of personality.

It is an artistic trademark of this workshop, no doubt inspired by the Stevens Deer Master, to carve reclining beasts, whether deer, rams, or mythical animals integrated into the landscape, so that they are entirely convincing as three-dimensional forms, often at strange angles to the viewer, with superbly observed three-quarter views of either the entire beast or certain aspects of it  The mythical beast in the Robert Hall bottle (Hall 1990, no. 51) is also typical. Settled into a crevice between rocks and clouds, its body is convincingly twisted at the shoulders in a far more sophisticated view than the simple, primarily two-dimensional profile common to the average bottle produced for the official classes. In the present example, all three beasts are at intriguing angles, not only individually but in relation to each other, and each is twisted at the shoulders to some extent to allow a more sophisticated view of the entire animal. If this is not by the Stevens Deer Master, then it is probably from the same workshop and still under his influence.

The lotus on the other side may have been similarly carved to keep it in harmony with the style of the three goats. While less complex in its detailing, it makes a powerful composition. The positioning of the four elements is a delight, with the paler ‘skin’ material, the beige lotus flower on one shoulder, the darker brown leaves, and the incisions representing water, all set as a strong diagonal with well-balanced details, is masterly.

As with Sale 2, lot 11, the subject is the popular auspicious symbol of three goats or sheep (san yang 三羊) and the sun (yang 陽), evoking the phrase sanyang kaitai 三陽開泰, ‘Three yang [unbroken] lines [on the bottom] lead to [the Book of Changes hexagram] Tai’, symbolizing the advent of spring and the coming of prosperity. Other examples are illustrated in Moss, Graham, and Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle: The J & J Collection, New York, 1993, nos. 152, 171 and 366.