A RARE INSIDE PAINTED ROCK CRYSTAL SNUFF BOTTLE BY YIRU JUSHI

ink and watercolors, the very well hollowed crystal of spade-shape tapering to a slightly concave base, brilliantly incorporating the amethyst inclusion on one face with a carving of a boy crouched over a dog, the  boy holding a large leaf carved in low-relief on the crystal, below a meandering pine tree, painted on the interior in grisaille with chrysanthemum blooms issuing from rockwork, a seven-character horizontal inscription above yi pian bing xin zhai yu hu ('Chasteness is seen through a jade bottle'), followed below by a six-character inscription fang shi tian zhi fa ye ('In the style of Shitian'), inscribed Zhong Chang, the reverse with further inscription in various calligraphy styles, carved with a raised oval seal feng liu ('style') and two square seals ming shi ('famous stone'), signed Yun Feng, Ban Shang, dated dingmao, summer (corresponding to 1807 or 1867)

Property of a Private Japanese Collector.
Sotheby's New York, 23rd March 1998, lot 317.

Hugo Keith Weihe, 'Chinese Ceramics, Furniture, Snuff Bottles and Works of Art on March 23rd and 24th, 1998', Arts of Asia, May-June 1998, p. 116 (not illustrated).
JICSBS, Autumn 1998, p. 25, fig. 4.
Vanessa F. Holden, 'The Joe Grimberg Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles', Oriental Art, 2002, Vol. 48, No. 4, pp. 65-72, figs. 36 & 37.

There is a minute outer mouth chip and one tiny chip to the foot. The painting is in good condition. The bottle is in overall excellent 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Yiru jushi is the hao of an 18th century artist and calligrapher who continues to be a subject of great interest. It was traditionally believed that he was active from the 1820s to the 1870s, thereby dating this bottle to 1867. However, a recent theory -- based on the types and qualities of bottles he painted on -- sets his chronology earlier, to 1802-1811, and would therefore date this bottle to 1807.

This latter argument, discussed in relation to a faceted rock crystal inside-painted bottle formerly in the Mary and George Bloch collection and sold recently at Bonhams Hong Kong, 28th May 2010, lot 68, points out that the bottles used by the artist were gathered from a variety of sources, among which are bottles of Imperial shapes and others appearing to date from the mid-18th century to 1811. Moreover, none of his known paintings exist on bottles manufactured in the mid-19th century. Assuming the artist would have used bottles contemporaneous to his time, this supports the attribution of an earlier date.

This theory would set Yiru Jushi as the first inside-painted artist, before Gan Xuanwen. Unfortunately, as Yiru Jushi's biography is unknown, both 1807 and 1867 are presented as the plausible dates for the creation of this inside-painted bottle.

The inscription Shitian zi fa ye refers to the renowned literari painter Shen Zhou (1427-1509) whose literary name was Shitian. The inscriptions on the reverse of the bottle allude to the pleasures of snuff taking.

For examples of other bottles painted by Yiru jushi, see Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Miniature Art from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Hong Kong, 1994, pp. 364-366, figs. 297-298. Another inside-painted crystal bottle by the artist, also painted with chrysanthemum, was sold at Christie's New York, 20th-21st March 1997, lot 246.