A SOFTWOOD 'PEONY AND PRUNUS' SNUFF BOTTLE LATE QING DYNASTY / REPUBLICAN PERIOD

Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., 1991.

Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 7, Hong Kong, 2009, no. 1472.

Minor abrasions to the inner lip. Tiny chip or scratch to the foot. Otherwise in good 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. 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."

At first glance, the material here resembles boxwood (huangyangmu黃楊木), the hard, close-grained, and easily controlled wood beloved of Chinese carvers and collectors alike. The boxwood-like colour, however, is added as a light stain to a softwood of a much paler colour, as is obvious from the inside of the neck, which never seems to have been stained—suggesting that it was not the intention of the maker to fool anyone, only to imitate the colour of boxwood. Had serious deceit been intended, the artist would certainly have stained the inner neck as well, or his deception would have been instantly revealed to the snuff taker. The inside is darkened, of course, not from stain but from snuff. The wood where it is exposed is revealed as a very pale, almost creamy-white colour, not unlike balsa-wood in appearance, although harder and with a closer grain.

There are several softwoods in China from which this might have been made, but Alan Fung has identified this as likely to be either gingko or apple wood.

The bottle is sufficiently unusual in style and size that it is difficult to link precisely to any particular school, but it almost certainly dates from the second half of the Qing dynasty. So soft a wood in use for a century or more, and then further patinated in the marketplace for collectors, would be unlikely to retain such crisp detail and its thin veneer of stain on the higher-relief areas. A bottle of this size, which verges on the magnum, would probably have spent most of its functional life set on a table rather than being carried around and frequently handled and rubbed against the material of a containing pouch or wherever it would have been kept on the person. It might, therefore, sustain less wear, but it would still accumulate air-borne colouring agents such as smoke or other pollutants.

One of the most endearing features of this unusual bottle rests in the faces of the mask handles, which are splendidly goofy, each with no lower jaw and with three gravestone teeth emerging from the upper jaw. The effect of looking completely silly is compounded by tufts of hair that give the beast the appearance of having had its tail plugged directly into the National Grid.