AN INSIDE PAINTED ROCK CRYSTAL SNUFF BOTTLEMa Shaoxuan, dated 1897 Painted on the inside, with the legendary sisters of the Qiao family, seated on an elaborate latticed day bed reading a book, with a red square seal above them 'Ma Guangjia yin', ('Seal of Mr Guangjia'), the reverse with a descriptive poem of thirty-seven characters in official script, followed by the signature, 'Ma Shaoxuan', and inscribed, 'Painted at the capital', dated 1897, with one seal of the artist, 'Shaoxuan', stopper. The bottle 6.4cm (2 1/2in) high. (2). Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價 This well-known scene of the two Qiao sisters, famous for their legendary beauty, is taken from the classic, Sanguo yanyi (Romance of the Three Kingdoms). For a discussion of this subject, see G. G. Laverlochere, 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Source of Snuff Bottle Subjects,' Journal, The International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, Spring, 1988, pp. 12-13. For bottles painted with the same subject see, Robert Hall, 'Chinese Snuff Bottles III', page 42, no 111. 'A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles. The Mary and George Bloch Collection', Vol 4, part 2 page 392, no. 586. For examples sold at auction see: Snuff Bottles From the Mary and George Bloch Collection, Sotheby's Hong Kong, 31 May 2015, lot 102; Fine Chinese Snuff Bottles, New York, 13 November 2017, lot 8018. Examples in Museums include: The Portland Art Museum, no. 2009.59.22; The British Museum, no. 1945,1017.318 Provenance : Purchased from Robert Hall, 5th October 2005 Robert Hall, London Published : Friedman, Pamela, 'Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Pamela R. Lessing Friedman Collection', page 144 no. 121.