Footnotes

• Exhibited:
  Chinese Snuff Bottles, jointly presented by Hong Kong Chinese Snuff Bottle Collectors Study Group and the Urban Council, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 15 October to 26 November 1977
  
  Illustrated:
  Chinese Snuff Bottles, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1977, p.112, pl.272
  
  The inscription can be translated as "imitating the spirit of Shigu's style". Shigu, the artist's name of Wang Hui(1632-1717), was one of the great Four Masters of the early Qing dynasty, who was also under the Orthodox School. By learning brushstrokes and inkstrokes from the Four Masters of Yuan dynasty and the stylistic landscapes of Song dynasty paintings, Shi aimed at pursuing the artistic spirit of the Tang dynasty painting. His compositions were mostly sophisticated, closely resembles the style of Wang Meng (1308-1385), with typical small and short brushstrokes known as 'ox hair' brushstrokes, as well as long free-hand brushstrokes for the texture of the mountain.
  
  Though the current lot is not dated, it is believed to be painted in Zhou's later period. The increasing complex composition, green landscape and the pine trees in the foreground are all typical of Zhou's later style. For a comparison of Zhou's landscape styles, see Moss, Graham and Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, Vol.4, Inside-Painted, Hong Kong, 2000, pp.153-156, no.490.
  
  約1890-1892 周樂元 玻璃內畫仿石谷山水鼻煙壺
  
  展覽:
  香港中國鼻煙壺收藏家學會、香港市政局聯辦，《中國鼻煙壺》，香港藝術館，1977年10月15日至11月26日
  
  出版:
  《中國鼻煙壺》，香港藝術館，香港，1977年，頁112，圖版272
  
  壺呈扁瓶形，滑肩，橢圓形圈足。壺內畫連景淺降山水，遠山流水，淺灘松樹，有兩位老人正往小屋方向走去。山石以多個礬頭石組成，層層相疊，用筆輕鬆，疏密有致，感覺淡薄。山上題「倣石谷筆意，作於都門。周樂元。」，下畫「元印」白文橢圓形印。
  
  石谷，則王石谷，王翬(1632-1717)也，是清初四王之一，屬正統山水畫派，以元四家筆墨為學習對象，遠追宋人之山水形態，上溯唐代畫家之氣韻，集天下之大成。其山水構圖多變嚴謹，多習王蒙(1308-1385)牛毛皴或披麻皴，又常見有董源(?-962)巨然(生卒年不詳)之苔頭及礬頭石的風格特色。
  
  此鼻煙壺雖沒有紀年，但從緊密的構圖，深綠色山水，及以大棵松樹為前景這幾個特徵來看，相信是其晚期(1890-1892)風格。更多有關周樂元早晚期山水風格之比例，可參考詳細研究可參見請參見莫士撝, Victor Graham 及曾嘉寶著，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，第4冊，第一部份，頁153-156，編號490。

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Category: Asian Art / Chinese Works of Art

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