清乾隆至道光 橘皮模印詩文鼻煙壺

句出馮夢龍《警世通言》第九卷《李謫仙醉草嚇蠻書》。曰：「誰人海上稱詩伯？錦繡文章借一觀。偶書。」背面書陶淵明《歸去來辭》句，曰：「倚南窗以寄傲，審容膝之易安。冬日。」

John Ault 收藏
Robert Kleiner，倫敦，2006年

Hugh Moss、Victor Graham 及曾嘉寶，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，卷7，香港，2009年，編號1511

There is a short 1mm age crack from the mouth that extends further down a few mm on the interior of the neck. The surface has been considerably smoothed through use, but the moulding is very crisp and the surface has an attractive patina. The overall condition is very good. The actual colour of the snuff bottle is more chocolate brown, less red when 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."

The first inscription may be translated as follows:

Who calls himself poet elder there on the ocean?
Pray let me have a look at his magnificent writings.

A random jotting

This is taken from a story about the Tang poet Li Bai reappearing over two centuries after his death, floating in a boat down a river; a scholar seeing the boat, which displays a white placard reading 'Poet Elder', chants these lines and is startled when someone in the boat answers with: 'The night is quiet, I cannot compose a quatrain, / Fearing that I'll startle the Dipper and make it fall into the river to be chilled.' The story is found in a book of tales by the famous Ming dynasty collector of stories, Feng Menglong.

The second set of lines is quoted from the famous poetic composition entitled Guiqulai ci 'Home Again' by Tao Qian (also known as Tao Yuanming, 365-427), the farm-and-garden poet of the Jin dynasty who relinquished a minor government post after serving only eighty days to return home to lead a carefree life in the countryside.

I lean by the south window, lodging my lofty feelings in the view,
And consider how easily I find contentment in a house that barely admits my frame.[Inscribed] on a winter day