ZHITING SCHOOL, SUZHOU, 1800-1880

Details

A 'HAIR' CRYSTAL SNUFF BOTTLE
ZHITING SCHOOL, SUZHOU, 1800-1880
The bottle is carved through the white skin on the front with a group of three rams emitting a cloud which supports the sun, with a four-character inscription on the narrow side in cameo reading san yang kai tai. The reverse is carved with a gnarled pine above a meandering stream. The bottle is suffused overall with fine, black 'needles' or 'hairs.'
2 3/8 in. (6 cm.) high, glass stopper

Provenance

Kenneth Hark, Florida.
Asian Art Studio, Los Angeles, California, 2008.
Ruth and Carl Barron Collection, Belmont, Massachusetts, no. 4870.

Special notice

This lot is offered without reserve.

Lot Essay

Zhiting, for whom this school was named, was one of the few hardstone carvers of the Qing dynasty who signed his wares with the intention of establishing an artistic identity. The name "Zhiting School" has been applied to a particular group of carvings from Suzhou. For a discussion on the Zhiting School, see Moss, Graham, Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, The Mary and George Bloch Collection, Vol. 2, Part 2, Hong Kong, 1998, pp. 504-9, no. 366. Crystal bottles from this school are particularly rare.

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