A 'SUZHOU' AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE BY YAXING

superbly hollowed, of small rounded form below a cylindrical neck, resting on a small concave oval base, masterfully carved from the gray and brown inclusions against the light gray stone to depict a scene of Su Wu tending three rams in a rocky landscape, one of the animals with a lingzhi sprig in its mouth prancing toward a pine tree growing from the cliff, a small dog sitting obediently nearby, the walls of the cliff and a small pine tree carved in low relief and continuing to the reverse framing a poetic inscription incised in regular script, followed by a signature, Yaxing

Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd.

The bottle is in excellent condition overall.
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.

It is rare to find a signature on Suzhou School bottles, and while those bearing signatures of Lu Zigang and Zhiting are known, none of the names can be associated with recorded figures historically since few commercial carvers were recorded in the biographical dictionaries of the influential minority.

The subject depicted on the present bottle is Su Wu, a Han dynasty diplomat known for his loyalty to his mission and to his country. While serving as the Han's ambassador to the nomadic territory of Xiongnu, he was imprisoned but refused to surrender. After 19 years of detention, part of which was spent tending sheep, he was finally released from his captivity.

The inscription on the present bottle can be translated as:

'The northerly snow falls all about Tianshan,
Flying geese enter the pass at Han's frontier,
How lucky to have survived and returned home.'