清十九世紀晚期 青花游龍「海八怪」圖鼻煙壺 素雲道人作 《素雲道人製》款

John Ault，2002年
Robert Kleiner，2002年

Hugh Moss、Victor Graham 及曾嘉寶，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，卷6，香港，2007年，編號1420

It is 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."

Under lot 1093 in this sale, Suyun Daoren is identified as the powerful eunuch also known as Liu Chengyin 劉誠印. Liu was one of the Empress Dowager’s three favourite eunuchs in the last three decades of the century and the only one she could rely on for intelligent political advice. For more on him and his connection with the Quanzhen 全真 sect of Daoism at the White Cloud Monastery in Beijing, see Liu Xun 劉迅, ‘Visualizing Perfection: Daoist Paintings of Our Lady, Court Patronage, and Elite Female Piety in the Late Qing’, Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, vol. 64, no. 1 (June 2004): 57 – 115. It is significant that when Liu Suyun became too ill to continue in service, the Empress Dowager saw him off from the Summer Palace in a boat reserved for Manchu princes (Liu Xun, p. 86). This helps us understand why this and some other bottles bearing the Suyun daoren mark feature five-clawed dragons, which had been normally reserved for the emperor. These protocols had broken down by the end of the nineteenth century, but in the case of Liu Suyun one can say that it was less a matter of lowering the threshold for use of the five-clawed dragon and more a matter of people other than the emperor rising in power and prestige to the same level of privilege.