
Coco Li
Cataloguer / Sale Coordinator, Chinese Works of Art
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Sold for US$15,360 inc. premium
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Cataloguer / Sale Coordinator, Chinese Works of Art

Senior Vice President, US Head, Asian Art Group

Vice President and Head of Department

Senior Specialist
1750-1850 蘇作黑白玉「三羊開泰」鼻煙壺一件
Provenance:
Marsha Vargas, The Oriental Corner, Los Altos, California, March 1987
來源:
Marsha Vargas, The Oriental Corner, Los Altos, 加利福尼亞,1987年3月
For a slightly larger Suzhou black and white jade 'Goatherd' snuff bottle, with reverse color scheme, of white on a black ground, see Sotheby's New York, 16 September 2014, lot 244, but similarly depicting a goatherd resting on a tall staff with three goats at his feet, and like that example, clearly shows the weariness of the elderly goatherd, hunched over and supporting himself against his tall staff.
The goatherd resembles depictions of Su Wu, a Han dynasty statesman, held captive in the North of China who suffered years of servitude herding goats. Despite years of suffering, Su Wu remained loyal to the Han and is upheld as a paragon of loyalty.
For another Suzhou jade bottle making similar use of diagonal black inclusions in the white stone to depict the 'Four Noble Occupations', see Michael C. Hughes, Small Treasures: The Art Institute of Chicago, Chinese Snuff Bottles, Hong Kong, 2015, pp. 64-65, no. 45