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Lot Essay
A rare and exotic substance, hornbill was a valued material to the Chinese well before the snuff-bottle period.
Known only by his hao or pseudonymous art name, Baishi was one of the finest carvers in any organic material used in the making of snuff bottles. His works are always superbly carved and meticulously detailed. As is often the case with Baishi's works, one side is carved in low relief with a symbolically significant subject while the other side is inscribed in archaic characters, often, although not in this case, taken from an ancient bronze vessel, with a regular-script inscription following it.
Dating from the mid-Daoguang period, Baishi's works are extremely rare, but are nonetheless very well known and sought after by snuff-bottle collectors. Other examples include the celebrated bottle form the Edmund F. Dwyer Collection, illustrated by L. S. Perry, Chinese Snuff Bottles. The Adventures and Studies of a Collector, p. 130, no. 125, and by B. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, nos. 736 and 737, and now in the collection of Charles V. Swain (dated 1843); a bottle from the Ko Collection illustrated by R. Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, no. 193; the early bottle dated to 1836 from the collection of Edgar Wise, illustrated by B. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, no. 738; the bottle dated to 1843 illustrated by J. Ford, Chinese Snuff Bottles. The Edward Choate O'Dell Collection, no. 76; the example sold at Sotheby's, London, 24 April 1989, lot 160, also illustrated by R. Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles. The White Wings Collection, p. 227, no. 159; and two bottles illustrated in Chinese Snuff Bottles No. 5, pp. 93 and 94, the latter of which is in the Art Institute of Chicago.
The subject matter here, of a dignitary wearing an official hat and pointing towards the sun as he is being offered a precious bronze tripod wine vessel (jue), symbolizes a wish for promotion to the highest rank.
Known only by his hao or pseudonymous art name, Baishi was one of the finest carvers in any organic material used in the making of snuff bottles. His works are always superbly carved and meticulously detailed. As is often the case with Baishi's works, one side is carved in low relief with a symbolically significant subject while the other side is inscribed in archaic characters, often, although not in this case, taken from an ancient bronze vessel, with a regular-script inscription following it.
Dating from the mid-Daoguang period, Baishi's works are extremely rare, but are nonetheless very well known and sought after by snuff-bottle collectors. Other examples include the celebrated bottle form the Edmund F. Dwyer Collection, illustrated by L. S. Perry, Chinese Snuff Bottles. The Adventures and Studies of a Collector, p. 130, no. 125, and by B. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, nos. 736 and 737, and now in the collection of Charles V. Swain (dated 1843); a bottle from the Ko Collection illustrated by R. Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, no. 193; the early bottle dated to 1836 from the collection of Edgar Wise, illustrated by B. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, no. 738; the bottle dated to 1843 illustrated by J. Ford, Chinese Snuff Bottles. The Edward Choate O'Dell Collection, no. 76; the example sold at Sotheby's, London, 24 April 1989, lot 160, also illustrated by R. Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles. The White Wings Collection, p. 227, no. 159; and two bottles illustrated in Chinese Snuff Bottles No. 5, pp. 93 and 94, the latter of which is in the Art Institute of Chicago.
The subject matter here, of a dignitary wearing an official hat and pointing towards the sun as he is being offered a precious bronze tripod wine vessel (jue), symbolizes a wish for promotion to the highest rank.