1899-1909年（畫） 水晶內畫「人物圖」題詩鼻煙壺 馬少宣製 《少宣弟馬光甲》款

題字：「爕臣大兄仁大人正。抱經濟才，有裘帶風，心胸豁達，氣度從容，交友以道，謹慎躬古，貌古心卓哉此公。」並有朱地白文「少宣」印。

Edmund F. Dwyer 收藏
Hugh Moss，1985年

《清代鼻煙壺》，香港藝術館，香港，1978年，編號235
《Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch at the Galleries of Sydney L. Moss, Ltd.》，Sydney L. Moss Ltd，倫敦，1987年，編號294
Creditanstalt，維也納，1993年
《Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch》，大英博物館，倫敦，1995年，編號418
以色列博物館，耶路撒冷，1997年
倫敦佳士得，1999年

Emily Byrne Curtis，《Reflected Glory in a Bottle: Chinese Snuff Bottle Portraits》，紐約，1980年，頁95，圖132
Hugh Moss，〈Questions and Answers〉，《國際中國鼻煙壺協會學術期刊》，June 1981年，頁37，圖14
Hugh Moss、Victor Graham 及曾嘉寶，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，卷4，香港，2000年，編號609

The snuff bottle is in overall very good condition. The actual colour is consistent with the catalogue illustration, if not slightly warmer.
"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."

It has been suggested that the present bottle is painted with a portrait of the military commander of Changsham, Liu Gaozhao, see Emily Byrne Curtis, Reflected Glory in a Bottle: Chinese Snuff Bottle Portraits, New York, 1980, p. 95. The association is based on a photograph taken by the American engineer William B. Parsons in 1898 or 1999 when he was in Hunan surveying the line for a railway that would run from Guangzhou through Changsha to Hankou.

Xiechen was used as a courtesy name by several people, and could refer to Sun Jia'nai (1827-1909), who was the subject of another inside-painted bottle by Ma Shaoxuan, see Byrne Curtis, ibid., pp. 22-23; or Wu Shumei, a vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who was sent to Hunan in 1898.

The inscription is in four-syllable lines, with rhyme at the end of the even-numbered lines:

Endowed with the talent to manage the affairs of the world,
He has the style of 'light furs and broad belts'.
He is magnanimous of will,
And calm of spirit.
He makes friends in accord with the Way;
He is prudent and dignified,
Venerable of appearance, venerable of mind,
A brilliant man, this gentleman.
Light firs and broad belts were the mark of the high official or Very Important Person.