AN INSIDE-PAINTED GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE YE ZHONGSAN, FIRST MONTH OF AUTUMN, 1895

with a concave lip and a recessed convex foot surrounded by a protruding rounded footrim, painted on one main side with a herdboy riding a water buffalo in the shallows of a river, reaching for his straw hat, which has just been blown away by the wind, the other main side with a young woman at a circular window, drawing apart the curtains to look out on a young cypress tree, inscribed in draft script ‘Painted by Ye Zhongsan at the capital in the first month of autumn in the year yiwei’, corresponding to 1895, with one seal of the artist, huayin (‘painting seal’), in negative seal script; the coral stopper with a vinyl collar

Sotheby’s New York, 3rd June 1992, lot 454.

Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Miniature Art from the Collection of George and Mary Bloch, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 324.
National Museum of Singapore, Singapore, 1994-1995.
Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, The British Museum, London, 1995, cat. no. 401.
Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1997.
Christie's London, 1999.

Chen Yibing, Zhonghua zhenbao xuancui, Chengdu, 1994, p. 111.
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. 508.

 

Apart from some expected surface abrasions from use, there is a faint nick to the inner lip and one minute nick to the footrim, otherwise the snuff bottle is in very good condition. There is some slight fading of colours to the painting, but generally it is in good condition condition. The actual colours are consistent with the catalogue illustration.
"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."

In 1895, Ye Zhongsan demonstrated sufficient artistic confidence to begin emerging from the shadow of Zhou Leyuan's subject matter, which up until then had dominated his output.

The scene of the boy on the water buffalo on one side of the bottle is after similar scenes painted by Zhou Leyuan, such as an example in the Bloch collection, sold by Bonhams Hong Kong, 28th May 2010, lot 47. However, the subject on the other main side, showing a young woman partin curtains, displays Ye Zhongsan's growing confident and evolving personal style.