An inscribed black overlay glass 'cats and butterfly' snuff bottle
Attributed to Yangzhou, circa 1870-1890
Beautifully worked in relief, the flattened globular shape bottle carved through the black overlays on each side with auspicious scenes of longevity, depicting cats and butterflies amongst a basket of chrysanthemums, a pair of birds, bamboo, wine and various other offerings, all beneath a carved three-character inscription.
5.8cm high.
Beautifully worked in relief, the flattened globular shape bottle carved through the black overlays on each side with auspicious scenes of longevity, depicting cats and butterflies amongst a basket of chrysanthemums, a pair of birds, bamboo, wine and various other offerings, all beneath a carved three-character inscription.
5.8cm high.
Sold for
HK$ 68,750
inc. premium
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.29, pl.24
The inscription maodie refers to the state of being eighty to ninety years old, the pronunciation of which is similar to 'cat' and 'butterfly' in Mandarin. The depiction of both animals is therefore connotative of the wish for longevity. For additional information about this school of high quality overlay glass snuff bottles produced in Yangzhou, see the footnote for lot 9.
清 1870-1890 (傳)揚州 白套黑玻璃雕耄耋圖鼻煙壺
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：
香港藝術館，《中國鼻煙壺》，香港，1977年，頁29，圖版24
壺呈扁瓶形，直口滑肩，橢圓形圈足。壺以白地套黑玻璃，一面飾有一盤菊花，前方有兩隻小貓，看著蝴蝶飛舞，上題「耄耋圖」。另一面散置不同物品，如花果、瓶子，小鳥等，整壺皆是淺浮雕，雕工精細。
耄耋是指八、九十歲，在古代有長壽之意，而耄耋讀音正好跟「貓蝶」相同，因此常以貓、蝶為題，寓意長壽。有關揚州作坊作高質素玻璃鼻煙壺之研究，見本專場拍品編號9之說明。
Category: Asian Art / Chinese Works of Art
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