Bottle ID: 00218

< Previous page

MA SHAOXUAN, PORTRAIT & INSCRIPTION

Date: August 4, 1905

Height: 64 mm

 

Glass, of flattened rectangular form with sloping shoulders, superbly painted on the inside en grisaille with a portrait of Baofen, the Governor of Henan Province, in Court robes and hat, below a three-character inscription reading: 'Portrait of the Birthday Celebrant'; the reverse with a forty-three character inscription entitled 'Great Wealth and Honor As Well As Longevity', followed by the date: 'the yisi year three days before the evening of the seventh month, seventh day'; and the dedication:

'On the Occasion of the Grand Fiftieth Birthday Celebration for the Great Personage, Third Uncle Xiangshi, the Provincial Governor.  I respectfully cite these auspicious words to his honor and offer him this work.  Let us pray for blessing from the Buddha of Infinite Life'; the inscription finishing 'Respectfully offered by nephew Renxi'. 

Unsigned, by Ma Shaoxuan.

 

Similar Examples:

Lawrence, Clare.  Miniature Masterpieces from the Middle Kingdom - The Monimar Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles, 1996, pp. 290-291, no. 139.63.
Moss, Hugh, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang.  A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles - The Mary and George Bloch Collection, 2000, Vol. 4, Part 2, pp. 405-407, no. 592 and pp. 450-452, no. 609.

 

Provenance:

Clare Lawrence Ltd.
Sotheby's, Hong Kong, May 5, 1994, lot 1592
Private Collection
Sotheby's, London, March 23, 1988, lot 200
Mr. Chiu, London
Sotheby's, London, March 3, 1987, lot 143
Eric Young Collection
Sotheby's, New York, June 25, 1982, lot 220
The Bob C. Stevens Collection

 

Exhibited:
 

Annual Convention ICSBS Toronto, October 2007

 

Published:
 

Stevens, Bob C.  The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, 1976, p. 239, no. 844.
Curtis, Emily Byrne.  Reflected Glory in a Bottle, 1980, p. 33, figs. 45 and 46.
Ma Zengshan.  Inside-Painted Snuff Bottle Artist Ma Shaoxuan (1867-1939), A Biography and Study, 1997, p. 55, fig. 39.

 

 

There is no doubt that this bottle, although unsigned, is painted by Ma Shaoxuan, and is one of the stellar examples in his series of portrait bottles.  Ma Zengshan, the grandson of Ma Shaoxuan and the author of "Inside Painted Snuff Bottle Artist Ma Shaoxuan (1867-1939)" confirms this by his identification and illustration of the bottle in the aforementioned book.

Xiangshi is the personal name of Baofen, who became the Manchu Governor of Henan in 1905, having previously been Governor of Jiangsu Province in 1895.  This bottle by Ma Shaoxuan was commissioned by his nephew Renxi on the occasion of his fiftieth birthday and to recognize his position as Governor.  Little is known about the life of Baofen, as six years later, despite the references on this bottle to his eminence, he left his position before the revolution of 1911 in fear of the hostilities.

The lengthy date on the bottle, including 'the seventh month of the seventh day', is a reference to the Festival of the Herd Boy and Weaver Maid.
 

 

< Back to full list