Beschreibung:

Lot details Published: Hugh Moss, Chinese Snuff Bottles Four: A Magazine for the collector and student of Chinese Snuff-Bottles, London, 1966, p. 45, fig. 11 Arts of Asia, September-October 1973, p. 45, fig. 11 Bob C. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, New York, 1976, no. 336 JICSBS, December 1979 and March 1980, p. 13, fig. 4 Rachelle Holden, Rivers and Mountains Far From the World - The Rachelle R. Holden Collection, A Personal Commentary, New York, 1994, pp. 126-127, no. 50 Exhibited: Tokyo, Mikimoto Hall, An Exhibition of Chinese Snuff Bottles From The Bob C. Stevens Collection, 22-31 October 1978, cat. no. 92. China. The stoneware bottle of rounded rectangular form, with a cylindrical neck, and tapering to a recessed oval foot, enameled in blue and reserved on each side with a recessed panel, finely carved and decorated in opaque colored slips, one side depicting a pair of Pekinese dogs, and on the other a pair of doves. The coral stopper finely carved with a bat. Provenance: From the collection of Bob C. Stevens, no. 336. Sotheby’s Honolulu, Fine and Important Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Bob C. Stevens, Part I, 7 November 1981, lot 69. Rachelle R. Holden, New York, acquired from the above. Bob C. Stevens was an enthusiastic collector of Chinese snuff bottles who published an important book on the subject, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, in 1976. In 1978, a part of his collection was exhibited in Tokyo at Mikimoto Hall. Rachelle R. Holden (1934-2020) was a famous collector of Chinese snuff bottles. She purchased her first bottle in 1974, finding the subject fascinating as it combined all the classic forms of Chinese art, and would continue to passionately collect them for the rest of her life. Condition: Magnificent condition with minor old wear, light surface scratches, very few touched-up glaze flakes and microscopic pits. Stopper: Carved coral (minuscule age cracks and chips to stopper) Weight: 44.1 g Dimensions: Height including stopper 71 mm. Diameter neck 16 mm and mouth 6 mm. The Daoguang Emperor and his consort were fond of doves and small dogs, respectively, as subjects of paired doves and Pekingese dogs became popular during this period. The symbolism imbued in the pairs of dogs and doves implies a wish for happy marriage. The dove-and-dog Yixing bottles were made in sets and in several different series. One of the finest versions of all is seen in the present lot, with its rounded rectangular shape, blue surround and multi-colored slip decoration. The slip is both painted with a brush and plastered on and carved, or at least manipulated with a blade of some sort. This is the same technique as that of the Slip Master (see for example Moss, Treasury 6, lots 1448–1451), but it is a quite different, more evolved style, with a number of different colors of slip used almost like enamels. This is typical of artistic evolution in the snuff-bottle arts, where a simple idea, drawn initially from the painting style of the literati with its predominance of monochrome ink painting, evolves to a more complex style as the possibilities of the medium are explored. These bottles with their more intriguing designs and multiple colors may be the later wares by the Slip Master, perhaps with a son taking over, or they may be from a different workshop, although we are inclined towards the first option. The bulk of the known examples probably date from the earlier part of the Daoguang reign, although the type may have remained popular throughout the reign. As a rule, however, it is not likely that an Imperial type remained fashionable for thirty years without noticeable changes in style. The dogs and doves on this series are always extremely well depicted, full of life, and the limited range of colors of slip available to the carvers are very thoughtfully and effectively used. While the form remains reasonably constant, and the subject matter is always the same, there are several different composi