AN INSIDE-PAINTED GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE DING ERZHONG, SECOND MONTH, 1899

with a concave lip and a recessed convex foot surrounded by a protruding rounded footrim, painted on one main side with a flying crane holding a branch of flowering peony in its beak above the reflection of the sun in turbulent water, inscribed in cursive script fang yuanren yipin fugui tu (‘A painting [symbolizing the attainment] of a first-rank official title and wealth, executed in imitation of a Yuan work by Erzhong in the second month of the year jihai’, corresponding to 1899), with one seal of the artist, Ding, in negative regular script, the other main side with two deer beneath a mature cypress tree beside a rock, with five bats flying overhead, inscribed in cursive script jihai fang Xinluo Shanren fa Erzhong zuo (‘Executed by Erzhong in the year jihai in imitation of the method of Xinluo shanren’), with one seal of the artist, Zhong’er, in negative regular script; the jadeite stopper with a coral finial and vinyl collar

Collection of Arthur Gadsby, 1980.
Belfort Collection, 1986.

Très précieuses tabatières chinoises: Collection rassemblée par Maître Viviane Jutheau, L’Arcade Chaumet, Paris, 1982, cat. no. 129.
Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch at the Galleries of Sydney L. Moss, Ltd., Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 1987, cat. no. 259.
Creditanstalt, Vienna, 1993.
Christie's London, 1999.

Regina Krahl, ‘Exhibition Highlights: Chinese Snuff Bottles’, Orientations, October 1987, p. 43, no. 13.
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. 552.

There is a 0.6 cm flake to the foot. Otherwise the overall condition is quite good.
"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."

The crane design seen on the present bottle is not intended primarily as a symbol of longevity, as it usually is, but in its alternative symbolic role as the badge of a first-rank court appointment. This is made clear by the title and by the addition of the sun moving upwards in the sky, symbolising a rise through the ranks of official position. This is one of Ding Erzhong’s intriguing images of cranes, where no two are alike and each is imbued with extraordinary personality. There is also a lovely abstract balance set up by the three vermilion emphases: the sun, the crane’s crest, and the seal following the inscription.

On the other side is one of Ding’s most compelling images of deer, with two superbly painted beasts in a magnificent, studied pose as they turn towards the two bats flying above them beside the ancient cypress. The artist who inspired Ding to paint this scene is Hua Yan (1682–1756), one of the most versatile painters active in eighteenth-century Yangzhou. He adopted the literary name Xinluo shanren, one of the nearly twenty different artists of antiquity whose inspiration Ding has acknowledged on his recorded works. In this case we can detect the style of Hua Yan, who produced delightful paintings of animals, as much as we can see the style of Ding Erzhong.