AN INSIDE-PAINTED CRYSTAL 'SCHOLAR'S ROCK' SNUFF BOTTLE ZHOU LEYUAN, 1890

the crystal snuff bottle inside-painted on one side with floral blooms and dated to the gengyin year (1890), the reverse with jagged rockwork and inscribed Leyuan zuo (made by Leyuan)

Hugh M. Moss Ltd., 1985.
Mary and George Bloch collection.

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. 484.

The bottle has a partially polished chip to the outer lip. There are also some natural veinings in the crystal around the neck and foot, as well as some surface scratches and abrasions. There are two tiny chips, one just above the foot on the side and the other half way up on the left side of the pond scene. There are minor spoon scratches to the inside painting towards the base on both sides. The lotus pond painting has some slight fading of the colours. It is possible that a dedicatory inscription has been removed by the owner before the bottle left its original owner.
"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 inscription by the rock is a poem on a painting of rocks by the Ming poet Zhang Fengyi 張鳳翼 (1527 – 1613). One character in the second line was dropped when the bottle was inscribed.

怪石嶙峋虎豹蹲，虯柯蒼［翠］蔭空村，亦知匠石不相顧，閱歷歲華多蘚痕。

Strange stones jut up like tigers and leopards crouching.
Tangled branches of greyish green shade a deserted village.
They know Craftsman Shi will pay them no heed;
Having seen so many years pass by, they are scarred by lichens.

Craftsman Shi, who appears in an ancient story of marvellous skill, simply stands for a skilled stonecutter here.

This is one example of an older crystal bottle (as opposed to a bottle made expressly for him) used by Zhou Leyuan as his canvas. It is an elegant shape, such as one might expect to find painted by a Lingnan artist of the early nineteenth century, when it was already ancient – but, as with all plain forms of this sort, it is very difficult to date precisely.