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A CINNABAR LACQUER SNUFF BOTTLE. Ching Dynasty. A cinnabar lacquer snuff bottle carved in very fine and high relief of rounded shape on a short foot surrounded by a band stylized lotus petal lappets, the underside revealing a brass body and a recessed oval reserve with excellent patina and a four-character mark in shallow relief reading “Chien-Lung Nian Zhi.” One side of the bottle depicts a garden scene flanked by rocks and a covered pavilion in the foreground with an overarching tree and distant mountains, the garden enclosed by a traditional key-fret openwork fence and inhabited by two standing figures, possibly a mother and son bidding each other farewell. The reverse side offers a closer perspective of the garden where the same lady, still holding her fan, now sits alone amidst the rocks in the foreground. The negative space of the ground and sky is decorated with a very fine diaper pattern. The shoulder of the bottle is decorated with a collar of ornate, scrolling foliage surrounding the sort banded neck with banana leaf pattern. The stopper of matching cinnabar is shaped in a traditional stylized ‘roof tile’ pattern arranged in concentric rings resembling a chrysanthemum. The wooden spoon is intact and the bottle is in very good condition with possible minor frits exaggerated in the enlarged photographs. Height with stopper: 6.2cm (2-1/2”). From a Hudson Valley collection.
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