AN INSIDE-PAINTED CRYSTAL SNUFF BOTTLE BY ZHOU LEYUAN

of flattened rectangular form with shoulders sloping to a cylindrical neck, resting on a neatly carved oval foot, painted to the inside with ink and colors, one face depicting a flute-playing boy riding a buffalo, the animal wading through shallow waters, near a wooden foot-bridge, beneath an inscription 'painted at the Lotus Fragrance Studio in the Winter month of the renchen year [corresponding to 1892], Zhou Leyuan' followed by a seal, yuan, the reverse painted with an aerial view of a misty mountain set with pine trees and pavilions

Christie's New York, 18th September 1997, lot 271.
Robert Hall.
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd.

Pigment is fully intact, overall in fine condition with the exception of tiny chips on the inner rim of the mouth as expected from use.
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.

The herd boy on the buffalo is a common subject on in the decorative arts of China and is taken from a poem entitled 'A Village at Dusk', written by Lei Zhen in the Northern Song period, which reads:

'As the herd boy returns home, riding sideways, on his water buffalo.
He randomly plays a small flute...'

Other artists have also treated this theme on inside-painted bottles. One painted by Ye Zhongsan, with a date corresponding to 1909, is illustrated in An Imperial Qing Tradition. An Exhibition of Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collections of Humphrey K. F. Hui and Christopher C. H. Sin, Hong Kong, 1994, p. 198, no. 233. An example signed by Ma Shaoxuan was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 2nd November 1978, lot 109.