A CINNABAR LACQUER SNUFF BOTTLE, PROBABLY IMPERIAL, QIANLONG TO JIAQING PERIOD China, 1736-1820. Of flattened globular form, rising from an oval foot to a slightly waisted neck, one side carved with three scholars standing in a mountain landscape with a pavilion in the background, the reverse with two farmers plowing a field, surrounded by rocks and pines, all above a diapered ground. The neck with a stiff leaf border above a band of scrolling vines.

Provenance: French trade. By repute from an old private estate, acquired during the first half of the 20^th century, and thence by descent.
Condition: Good condition with some wear, few small chips, some of which are smoothened, few minuscule losses. The base worn, revealing the bronze body.

Stopper: Coral on a black onyx platelet
Weight: 32.1 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 59 mm. Diameter neck 15 mm and mouth 4 mm

The present bottle is part of a group that represents masterly carving in lacquer that is splendidly sculptural and covers a range of delightful subject matter. We can be sure that the group as a whole was imperial, even if we cannot be sure that every last example was made for the court. If they were made in Suzhou for example, the workshops might have made some bottles for private sale, on top of the imperial command.

Literature comparison:
Compare another carved cinnabar lacquer snuff bottle with similar design from the Qing court collection, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing and illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum 47, Snuff Bottles, Hong Kong, 2003, p. 256, pl. 393.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 24 November 2012, lot 101
Price: HKD 87,500 or approx. EUR 14,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A cinnabar lacquer 'figures in landscape' snuff bottle, Qing dynasty, 1770-1830
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject and manner of carving. Note the similar size (6.5 cm).



乾隆至嘉慶時期剔紅人物場景鼻烟壺，或爲御製
中國，1736-1820年。扁平壺，溜肩，豐胸，收腹。頸部蕉葉紋，之下一圈纏枝紋。壺身雷紋地，一面刻著山間三位文人，背景可見松澗亭臺；另一面是兩個耕田的農民，周圍著岩石和青松。

來源：法國古玩交易市場，據説來自一個私人舊藏，購於上世紀上半葉，保存至今。
品相：品相良好，有一些磨損，輕微磕損，有一些磨平了。底座磨損，露出銅胎。

壺蓋：珊瑚，黑缟玛瑙托片
重量：32.1 克
尺寸：高 （含蓋）59 毫米，頸部直徑15 毫米 及瓶口直徑4 毫米

文獻比較：
比較一件清中期剔紅羲之鼻烟壺，相似的設計，以及來自宮廷收藏，收藏於北京故宮博物院藏清宮，見李久芳、張榮編《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：鼻烟壺》，香港，2003年，頁256，編號393。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港邦瀚斯，2012年11月24日，lot 101
價格：HKD 87,500（相當於今日EUR 14,000）
描述：清1770-1830年剔紅愛鵝行山圖鼻烟壺
專家評論：比較非常相近的主題和雕刻風格。請注意相似的尺寸(6.5 厘米)。