清約1861-1883年 揚州作涅白地套紅褐料「泛舟」圖鼻煙壺 《于氏珍藏》款 「今雨亭」字

of opaque cinnabar-red, semi-transparent olive-brown, and translucent white glass, with a flat lip and recessed convex foot surrounded by a protruding rounded footrim, carved as a double overlay, with some carving of the ground colour, with a continuous river scene with, on one main side, an immortal punting a log boat while another figure crouches in the prow, a double-gourd for wine hanging from the branches of the boat, with a foreground rock and the sun above, inscribed in relief seal script, Yushi zhencang ('Precious collection of Yu'), and on the other with a man punting a boat, a picnic box in the prow, beneath the moon and five birds, inscribed in relief three characters probably reading Jinyu ting ('Pavilion of Today’s Rain'), the shoulders with a continuous design of formalized clouds; the glass stopper carved with a coiled chilong, with integral collar

Henry and Lynn Prager 收藏
Robert Kleiner，倫敦，1997年

Hugh Moss、Victor Graham 及曾嘉寶，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，卷5，香港，2002年，編號1011

The surface has some characteristic burst air bubbles, but otherwise the overall condition is very good. The white ground is of a warmer tone compared to 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."

This bottle is important in identifying bottles commissioned by Yu Changsui, who lived in Yangzhou between 1861 – 1883. The output from Yangzhou in the late nineteenth century is spectacular, with many displaying carving in the ground colour, as here, where the clouds around the shoulders and the formalized water round the base are both carved in the ground colour and, indeed, as a relief plane between the ground plane and the first layer of cameo-overlay. This example also has a surface layer of cinnabar red. This is the most common upper layer on multiple overlays from the school which, if it appears as other than the surface layer, is often the middle one. Very few multiple overlays attributable to the Yangzhou school are without this colour in one of the two uppers layers.

Impressive though the carving style may be and spectacular though the multiple-overlay bottles invariably are, the detailing of the footrim suggests a nineteenth century standard. The figure in the log boat may be intended as Zhang Qian.