清道光 青花釉裏紅西遊記乘黿渡河鼻煙壺 《慎德堂製》款

Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd，1985年

曾嘉寶，〈The Horse as a symbol of excellence〉，《國際中國鼻煙壺協會學術期刊》，2002年秋，頁11，圖24
曾嘉寶，〈Magical Monkey〉，《國際中國鼻煙壺協會學術期刊》，2004年冬，頁15，圖47
Hugh Moss、Victor Graham 及曾嘉寶，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，卷6，香港，2007年，編號1297

There are some tiny surface scratches and a pinprick next to the Buddhist monk Xuanzang.
"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 has an exaggeratedly large mouth; the fact that it dates from the Daoguang period is corroborative evidence that the practice of scenting snuff overnight with flower petals was popular then. See Sale 8, lot 1074.

The Shende tang was the Daoguang emperor’s private residence in the Yuanming yuan, the imperial garden to the west of Beijing beloved of the Qing emperors as a far more agreeable place to live than the Forbidden City. Construction began in the tenth year of the Daoguang reign and was completed in the next year (1831) on the west side of the Jiuzhou Qingyan 九洲清晏 complex that had been in existence since the Yongzheng reign (the front hall had already been built in the Kangxi era) and served as the Qianlong emperor’s main residence at the Yuanming yuan.

Not only is the underglaze-red perfectly fired and of a vibrant colour, the control of the blue line is extraordinary and very detailed, with only a very slight loss of brilliance in the blue colour as the price paid for such control. The same is true of an identical bottle, indicating that at least two and almost certainly more were made as a set at the time (Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, Winter 2001, p.19, fig. 71). Not surprisingly, both examples are outstanding among underglaze-decorated snuff bottles: fit, indeed, for an emperor.

The scene here is taken from the immensely popular novel Xiyou ji 西遊記 (Journey to the West), based on a number of old traditions and first published in 1592. It records the story of a Tang dynasty monk named Xuanzang 玄奘, who was sent to India to obtain copies of the sacred books of Buddhism. The journey and accomplishments of the historical Xuanzang are awe-inspiring enough, but this fanciful and allegorical tale draws more on all sorts of myths and folklore, giving the monk some rather unusual companions: a pig, the monkey Sun Wukong 孫悟空 (also known as ‘The Monkey King’), and Friar Sand 沙僧. Much is made of the monkey with his magical powers and mischievous manner; so much, indeed, that in 1942 Arthur Waley titled his abridged translation Monkey. The precise events depicted here shows four of the protagonists crossing the River of Heaven on the carapace of a huge turtle, while Sun Wukong keeps a watchful eye on them from the sky (see Tsang Ka Bo, ‘Magical Monkey’, Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, Winter 2004: 5 – 17, p.15).