Footnotes

Treasury 3, no. 430


珊瑚蝙蝠靈芝鼻煙壺


The Eternal Happiness Coral

Coral; well hollowed with a flat lip and recessed flat foot surrounded by a broad flat footrim with an irregular outer edge where it meets the carved design; carved with a continuous scene, set above a base of formalized waves, of a bat holding a beribboned fylfot medallion in its mouth, formalized clouds, and another, smaller bat in a garden setting with convoluted rocks, orchids, and a large lingzhi with two fungi growing from a single leafy stalk
1740–1850
Height: 4.64 cm
Mouth/lip: 0.44/2.30 and 2.22 cm. (oval)
Stopper: coral carved with two squirrels on a fruiting melon-vine; turquoise matrix collar
Condition: Material: with a number of natural darker and paler flaws in the material, some with small holes. Bottle: four miniscule nibbles to outer lip; one small chip at a point where a natural flaw in the material leaves a small gap at the outer lip; very minor softening of the relief detail from use, but unusually little for this group. General relative condition: excellent


Provenance:
Hugh Moss
Paula J. Hallett
Hugh M. Moss Ltd. (1986)
Published:
Snuff Bottles of the Ch'ing Dynasty, no. 123
JICSBS, December 1978, p. 33, fig. 123
JICSBS, Winter/Spring 1983, p.25
JICSBS, Winter 1984, p. 15, fig. 27
Kleiner 1987, no. 184
Treasury 3, no. 430
Exhibited:
Hong Kong Museum of Art, October–December 1978
Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, October 1987
Creditanstalt, Vienna, May–June 1993

Commentary:
This is another of the broad group of coral bottles represented by Treasury 3, nos. 428, 429, and no. 431. It relates most directly to the series of well-rounded forms from the group, which are often decorated with a range of scholar's objects, such as ancient bronzes and ceramics, various symbolic flowers and fruit, scrolls, a qin, and so forth (see, for instance, Stevens 1976, nos. 591 and 593; Lawrence 1996, no. 28; Hall 1987, no. 87; JICSBS, March 1978, front cover, left, and Chinese Snuff Bottles 1, p. 19, centre). Another of the group, with the often-imperial subject of Buddhist lions playing with brocaded balls, is in Hui & Sin 1994, no. 200.

This is one of the more unusual subjects from the group and one of the most impressive of all coral bottles. The sumptuously carved stopper on this bottle is of perfectly matched colour and ideally set off by the delightfully-patinated, old turquoise collar. That it was not the original is certain, since it was assembled by Moss from separate parts in the late 1960s, having acquired the bottle earlier in the decade. Coral is one of the materials that can get away with matching stoppers quite comfortably, but even so, the contrasting collar was needed to bring out the best in both stopper and bottle and unify them comfortably. Although the cabochon of the stopper fitted the neck of the bottle perfectly, it did not truly come alive and dazzle until the turquoise collar was added, when it suddenly looked as if it had been there forever. It is now difficult to imagine it with any other stopper.

Part of the appeal of this bottle is the way in which the design has been fitted to the form so well. The pear shape is set on a 'stand' of formalized waves which terminate in a series of curling points, taking the solidity of the base area and transforming it into upward energy. This energy is then picked up by the design which encircles the main body of the bottle. With elements of the main bat and wisps of cloud pointing upward around the bottle, the energy is swirled around before continuing its upward movement, leading the eye to the neck, which is left plain, as if it is rising out of a band of flames to terminate in the stopper. The entire design is faultlessly composed and carved and one of the most successful of the entire group.

Various implications are embedded in different combinations of the motifs represented here. These, as usual, all pertain to the ideas of longevity, good fortune, and progeny, desires dearly cherished by the Chinese. The ribbon (shoudai), for example, can be teamed up with the bat (fu) and the waves (suggestive of the sea, or hai) to produce the saying shoushan fuhai (A life-span as long-lasting as the mountains and happiness as vast as the seas). The fylfot, or swastika-like sign, reads wan and has the meaning of ten thousand. Combined with the ribbon, the two motifs constitute a pictorial pun for the term wanshou which connotes the idea of longevity verging on immortality. Alternatively, the bat, the ribbon, and the lingzhi (a symbol of long life in itself, but can also mean 'as you wish' since the cloud-like head of this fungus gives shape to the sceptre-like ornament, ruyi, used to impart the hope that things always transpire according to one's wishes), can be read together to evoke another auspicious saying fushou ruyi ([May you be blessed with] good fortune, longevity and things to your liking). Furthermore, the bat and the clouds (yun) pun on fuyun (good fortune). Likewise, the orchid (lan) and the lingzhi together express a desire for male (nan) progeny.

The material here is flawed, as is usual for this group, with one or two patches filled with coloured wax, one of the two standard methods of repairing small flaws in coral during the mid-Qing period (see discussion under Treasury 3, no. 431).


來源：
莫士撝
寶拉．哈列梯 (Paula J. Hallett)
Hugh M. Moss Ltd. (1986)
文獻：
Snuff Bottles of the Ch'ing Dynasty, 編號123
《國際中國鼻煙壺協會的學術期刊》Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, 1978年12 月，頁33，圖123
《國際中國鼻煙壺協會的學術期刊》Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, 1983年，冬～春期，頁25
《國際中國鼻煙壺協會的學術期刊》Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, 1984年冬期，頁15，圖27
Kleiner 1987, 編號184
Treasury 3, 編號430
展覽﹕
香港藝術館，1977年10月～12 月
Sydney L. Moss Ltd, 倫敦, 1987年10 月
Creditanstalt, 維也納, 1993年5月至6月

說明：
本壺屬於Treasury 3, 編號428、429、與431所代表的一群珊瑚壺，與這一群中比較圓形的一類特別近。它們常常裝飾著文房的寶物，如青銅、陶瓷的古器、吉祥的植物、卷軸、琴等物，如﹕Stevens 1976, 編號591、593；Lawrence 1996, 編號28；Hall 1987, 編號87；《國際中國鼻煙壺協會的學術期刊》Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, 封面，左；Chinese Snuff Bottles 1, 頁19，中）。還有御製品常裝飾的獅子戲綵球的，見Hui & Sin 1994, 編號200。

本壺的內容是比較特殊的，跟所有的珊瑚鼻煙壺相比，也讓人感到驚喜。豪華的蓋子也配合得適當，又以脈石綠松石的座襯托得太好了。它確實不是原件，是莫士撝1960年代後期給幾年前買的煙壺配裝的。珊瑚煙壺上裝配同色的珊瑚蓋本來很好，但用對比顏色的座來襯托上下的珊瑚就更妙了，現在難以想象這件蓋子是本來就有的。

本壺設計的特別好。腹下部的波浪支承全體，而上捲的浪形將沉重感轉成上升的氣派，氣派繼而纏繞壺身，無飾紋的上肩部與頸部則升起其間。這是這一群珊瑚煙壺中設計與雕藝最成功的作品之一。

壺中的小豁口是以染色蠟填補的；這是清朝中期補修珊瑚的兩種規範方法之一。另一個方法是把另一塊珊瑚嵌在豁口中。