AN UNUSUAL INCISED AND GILT INFILLED METAL SNUFF BOTTLE


18th/19th centuryOf tapering cylindrical form, with a stepped collared shoulder and an everted lip, the neck with a wood grain pattern, the body with an gilt incised continuous landscape with figures, trees and birds, the foot with an incised Fang Ming mark. 2 7/8in (7.3cm) high
|十八/十九世紀 銅填金刻山水圖鼻煙壺 《彷明》款Provenance: William A Parker Jr.IllustratedRandall, Chris, Important Chinese snuff bottles, from the China Trade to the Imperial Court, 1994, no. 24A nearly identical bottle, lacking the mark, is illustrated in Hughes, The Chester Beatty Library, Dublin: Chinese Snuff Bottles, Baltimore, 2009, no. 259, where this bottle is also referenced. The author offers a detailed explanation of the metalworking process and its possible influences from Japan. The mark on the foot of this bottle states the bottle was inspired by Ming dynasty craftsmanship, a likely reference to the bronze vessels with gilt metal highlights made by Hu Wenming and his workshop.