A MOLDED AND CARVED PORCELAIN ‘CABBAGE’ SNUFF BOTTLE, CHINA, 1850-1920
Crisply molded in the form of a baicai (Chinese cabbage), standing on its top end, the mouth rim formed from the base of the stalk, the leaves carefully articulated with naturalistic veins, a top portion of some folded back as they wilt to reveal the smooth, inner portion of the bud, the exterior finely enameled in shades of green.


Provenance
: French trade.

Condition
: Excellent condition with minor wear and firing irregularities, very minor loss to enamel at the rim.

Stopper: Glass
Weight: 40 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 79 mm. Diameter neck 11 mm and mouth 9 mm.


In Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art
, T. T. Bartholomew remarks that because of its green (qing) and white (bai) colors, “the Chinese cabbage is a pun for qing and qingbai, both meaning ‘without stain’, as in a clean personal record.” Bartholomew also notes that the second character of the word for cabbage (cai) is a pun for ‘wealth’, and that the Chinese believe that eating this vegetable will help one gain prosperity.


Literature comparison:

Compare to two related bottles from the same group in the J & J Collection, illustrated by Moss et. al., The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, vol. 1, no. 245. Comparison between the two bottles reveals that minor details of incised and smaller raised lines were added after the principal features were imposed by the mold. Also compare another related carved white jade cabbage-form bottle in the collection of Denis Low and illustrated by R. Kleiner, Treasures from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect, p. 68, no. 55


Auction result comparison:

Type: Near-identical
Auction: Christie’s New York, 22 March 2007, lot 58
Price: USD 6,000 or approx.
EUR 8,100
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A molded porcelain cabbage-form snuff bottle, 1850-1920
Expert remark: Note the identical form, similar decoration and size (71.8 mm).




1850-1920年堆塑白菜鼻煙壺

堆塑雕刻成白菜的形狀，根部朝上成壺口，葉子紋理刻畫自然，皺褶形象生動，綠色琺瑯深淺不一，更顯獨特。


來源：
法國古玩交易。

品相：
狀況極佳，有輕微磨損和燒製不規則，邊緣琺瑯小缺損。

壺蓋：玻璃
重量：40 克
尺寸：含蓋高79 毫米，頸部直徑11 毫米, 壺口直徑9 毫米


文獻比較：

比較兩件相近鼻煙壺，收藏於J & J Collection，見Moss編，《The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle》，卷1，編號245。比較兩件鼻煙壺，有雕刻和較小凸起線的小細節。比較另一件相近的白玉雕花白菜鼻煙壺，Denis Low收藏，見R. Kleiner，《Treasures from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect》，頁68，編號55。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：幾乎相同
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2007年3月22日，lot 58
價格：USD 6,000（相當於今日
EUR 8,100
）
描述：1850-1920年白玉雕花白菜鼻煙壺
專家評論：請注意相同的外形，相似的裝飾和尺寸(71.8毫米)。