AN INSIDE-PAINTED GLASS 'CRANE AND AUSPICIOUS OBJECTS ' SNUFF BOTTLE DING ERZHONG, LATE 19TH CENTURY

together with a watercolour illustration by Peter Suart

J & J Collection.
Collection of Alice B. McReynolds.
Sotheby's Los Angeles, 31st October 1984, lot 175. 

Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, British Museum, London, 1995, cat. no. 390.
Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1997. 
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. 540.

The outer lip of the bottle has a barely perceptible nick. There are three small nibbles to the outer footrim (one partially polished) and a tiny nick to the inner footrim. The inside painting has been well preserved, except for a few unobtrusive spoon markings.
"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 example belongs to Ding Erzhong’s early period. The brief and slightly hesitant inscriptions suggest it might even be as early as 1893, and yet the auspicious objects are comparable to Sale 6, lot 203, painted in the winter of 1895, so the dating of the present example is unconfirmed.

The subject of the crane with the waves and the sun is a rare one for Ding. The more common motif on the other side is attributable to the inspiration of Yun Shouping 惲壽平 (1633-1690), who adopted the studio name Ouxiang Guan [Hall of Teacup Fragrance]. Yun is referred to elsewhere as providing Ding with inspiration, for instance, Sale 5, lot 18, and Sale 6, lot 203.

It is far more likely, however, that Ding’s real inspiration was Zhou Leyuan 周樂元. This is quite typical of many of Zhou’s paintings of the subject. It is most likely the two artists knew each other and that Ding would have seen many of Zhou’s paintings.

One need not look far for corroboration of this. Sale 3, lot 109 is a similar still-life scene of auspicious objects by Zhou Leyuan, also ascribed by the artist to the inspiration of Yun Shouping. An original by Yun may have inspired both men, or even the style or spirit of Yun’s painting in general could have inspired them, but it is perhaps more likely that Ding’s debt to Yun in this particular case was via Zhou Leyuan.

There is an interesting comparison to be made here between the two artists, both of whom painted similar subjects many times. As a literatus steeped in the ancient culture through bronzes and their inscriptions, Ding was probably more constrained by correct ways to depict archaic or archaistic vessels. Zhou seems to have had no such constraints. Sale 2, lot 49 and Sale 9, lot 105 represent Zhou’s tendency to invent his own often bizarre archaism, with crackled glazes on ceramic vessels made in the shapes of ancient bronzes, and other anomalies. Ding is far more accurate in his depictions, staying within the guidelines laid down over the centuries among the literati for depicting the ancient culture. Here, the bronze incense burner is a recognizable and, more to the point, believable, late-Ming gui 簋 with loose handles and three small feet, and the crackled vessel is a ceramic form and thus sensibly endowed with a crackled glaze.