AN INSIDE-PAINTED GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE, BY BI RONGJIU (1874-1925), DATED 1893With a landscape to one side, the reverse with a still life of a spray of plum blossoms in a guan ware vase, with a scholar’s rock and potted plants.Inscriptions: To one side, signed ‘Rongjiu’, and dated ‘In Autumn of the Year of Guisi (corresponding to 1893)’. One painted seal.Provenance: Hugh M. Moss Ltd., London, United Kingdom, 1973. A private collector in the United Kingdom, acquired from the above, and thence by descent. The base with an old label, ‘1’, and lacquered with an old inventory number, ‘8429’. A copy of the original invoice from Hugh M. Moss Ltd., dated 28 February 1973, noting the inventory number ‘8429’ for the present lot, and confirming the attribution and dating above, apanies this lot. The invoice also notes that 1893 was the artist’s “first recorded year of this medium.” Hugh Moss (b. 1943) is an author, dealer, artist, lifelong collector, and enthusiast of Chinese art, and foremost authority on Chinese snuff bottles.Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and manufacturing irregularities. The stopper with a small chip.Stopper: AmberWeight: 28.9 gDimensions: Height incl. stopper 67 mm. Diameter neck 15 mm and mouth 7 mmBi Rongjiu (1874-1925) established the Shandong School of inside-painted snuff bottles after substantial training in Beijing. His early work is mostly inspired by Zhou Leyuan and Ma Shaoxuan. After 1897, his personal style became more distinct.Auction resultparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: New York, 16 September 2013, lot 8048Price: USD 5,000 or approx.EUR 6,100 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: An inside painted glass snuff bottle, Bi RongjiuExpert remark:pare the closely related depiction to both sides of the snuff bottle.畢榮九(1874-1925)款内畫鼻煙壺，1893年一面為山水風景，另一面為文房擺設，花瓶中有一枝梅花以及文石和盆栽。款識：癸巳仲秋，榮九作