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Lot Essay
The figure depicted on this striking bottle is the Tang-dynasty beauty Jiang Caipin, also known as "Lady Prunus Blossom," who was a rival of the famous Yang Guifei for the affections of the Emperor Xuanzong (685-762).
The inclusion of the signature, Jiluo jushi and the seal Shantang allow us to identify the decorator of this bottle as Jiang Ren (1743-95), a famous recluse highly regarded for his calligraphy. His original name was Jiang Tai, but after acquiring a bronze seal inscribed Jiang Ren he was apparently so impressed either by the cutting of the characters or the seal itself that he changed his name so that he could use it. He was known for his aloofness and might have been a more famous and popular calligrapher had he been less of a hermit. His works were highly regarded by fellow aesthetes despite his refusal to write in a prettier style than the gestural, almost illegible style for which he was known. In addition to being a calligrapher, he was also a painter and carver of seals and other objects in materials such as bamboo. Probably using a diamond or corundum-pointed tool, Jiang has decorated this bottle with all the energy and spontaneity of a trained calligrapher.
Wanya xuan, the Studio of Refined Amusement, is not a recorded studio name, although it appears on a number of glass bottles of different colors. This hallmark and its Imperial connection is discussed by Moss, Graham, Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Vol. 5, Glass, pp. 212-14 under no. 751, a ruby-red glass bottle of distinctive tall, slender form which has the mark placed on one narrow side; see also nos. 752 and 753 which are of different shapes but also bear this mark. Other examples of similar form and bearing this mark on one narrow side include two from the J & J Collection, illustrated by Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle. The J & J Collection, nos. 337 and 343, both of which were subsequently sold in these rooms, 30 March 2005, lot 87 and 29 March 2006, lot 81, respectively; a turquoise-blue version illustrated by H. Moss, Snuff Bottles of China, p. 116, no. 260; a yellow example illustrated in JICSBS, June 1977, p. 9, no. 18; one of turquoise-green glass, illustrated by J. Silver, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Joseph Baruch Silver, p. 12, no. 12; another yellow bottle illustrated by M. S. Mayer, Glass Snuff Bottles of China at Steuben Glass, no. 61, and no. 124 which is in opaque green.
The inclusion of the signature, Jiluo jushi and the seal Shantang allow us to identify the decorator of this bottle as Jiang Ren (1743-95), a famous recluse highly regarded for his calligraphy. His original name was Jiang Tai, but after acquiring a bronze seal inscribed Jiang Ren he was apparently so impressed either by the cutting of the characters or the seal itself that he changed his name so that he could use it. He was known for his aloofness and might have been a more famous and popular calligrapher had he been less of a hermit. His works were highly regarded by fellow aesthetes despite his refusal to write in a prettier style than the gestural, almost illegible style for which he was known. In addition to being a calligrapher, he was also a painter and carver of seals and other objects in materials such as bamboo. Probably using a diamond or corundum-pointed tool, Jiang has decorated this bottle with all the energy and spontaneity of a trained calligrapher.
Wanya xuan, the Studio of Refined Amusement, is not a recorded studio name, although it appears on a number of glass bottles of different colors. This hallmark and its Imperial connection is discussed by Moss, Graham, Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Vol. 5, Glass, pp. 212-14 under no. 751, a ruby-red glass bottle of distinctive tall, slender form which has the mark placed on one narrow side; see also nos. 752 and 753 which are of different shapes but also bear this mark. Other examples of similar form and bearing this mark on one narrow side include two from the J & J Collection, illustrated by Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle. The J & J Collection, nos. 337 and 343, both of which were subsequently sold in these rooms, 30 March 2005, lot 87 and 29 March 2006, lot 81, respectively; a turquoise-blue version illustrated by H. Moss, Snuff Bottles of China, p. 116, no. 260; a yellow example illustrated in JICSBS, June 1977, p. 9, no. 18; one of turquoise-green glass, illustrated by J. Silver, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Joseph Baruch Silver, p. 12, no. 12; another yellow bottle illustrated by M. S. Mayer, Glass Snuff Bottles of China at Steuben Glass, no. 61, and no. 124 which is in opaque green.