Bottle ID: 475

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PEBBLE FORM WITH POEM

Date: 1750-1820

Height: 60 mm

Duanstone, inkstone (slate), of dark brown tones, of well-hollowed irregular pebble form, incised on one side with a twenty-character inscription in regular script reading:
“Spring we wander through fragrant meadows,
Summer enjoy the green lotus pond,
Autumn drink chrysanthemum wine,
And Winter chant white snow poems.”
with two seals Bao Zhai "Treasure Studio" to one side.
Attributed to Duan.

 

Similar Examples:

Crane Collection no. 919
Crane Collection nos. 508 and 414

Provenance:

Clare Lawrence Ltd
The Monimar Collection
Sydney L. Moss Ltd.

Exhibited:

Christie's, St. James's, London, June 1996
Annual Convention, ICSBS, Hong Kong, October 1996

Published:

Lawrence, Clare. Miniature Masterpieces from the Middle Kingdom - The Monimar Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles, 1996, pp. 72-73, no. 30.150.

The quatrain inscribed on this bottle is taken from a well known late Northern Song Dynasty anthology (early 13th century) of five-syllable quatrains edited by Wang Zhu entitled the Shentong shi (Child Prodigy Poems). The reverse is left uncarved, but the soft stone appears somewhat worn and with an indentation where the thumb naturally sits, this unique bottle was clearly a favorite of whichever scholar commissioned and owned it.

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