A fine carved Suzhou agate 'fisherman' snuff bottle


18th/19th centuryWell-hollowed, of rounded square form rising from an oblong ring foot to a cylindrical neck and a concave lip, carved in high relief and decorated in delicate incisions using the dark brown inclusions to depict a fisherman seated above rockwork pulling a fish on a line from a lotus pond, the reverse with two water fowls, stopper. 6.4cm (2 1/2in) high. (2).
|十八/十九世紀 蘇作瑪瑙巧雕漁夫圖鼻煙壺Provenance:Formerly from an estate sold to benefit a New York MuseumSotheby's New York, 29 November 1994, lot 523A distinguished Asian private collection來源：私人遺產後售予紐約一間博物館紐約蘇富比，1994年11月29日，拍品編號523亞洲顯赫私人收藏The present lot demonstrates outstanding and imaginative use of every natural spotted markings in the material. This is achieved succesfully to highlight the design of the fisherman and water fowls, including the use of the pale yellowish-brown area above the lotus leaf to depict the lotus flower, displaying the master carver's attention to detail and confident carving.The subject of fishermen and lotus was a popular subject for the Official School. Compare stylistically to an agate 'fisherman' snuff bottle, Official School, 1740-1850, from the Mary and George Bloch collection, illustrated by H.Moss, V.Graham and K.B.Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Collection, vol.2, Hong Kong, 1995, p.350, no.310, which was later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 27 May 2013, lot 256. See also a chalcedony bottle carved with water fowl amidst aquatic pond, illustrated by R.Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Hong Kong, 1987, p.119, no.168.與本壺風格相近之例，可參考瑪麗及莊智博夫婦舊藏一件瑪瑙巧雕「漁翁得利」圖鼻煙壺，1740-1850年，見莫士撝，Victor Graham，曾嘉寶著，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，第二冊，香港，1995年，頁350，編號310，後售於香港蘇富比，2013年5月27日，拍品編號256。另對比一件瑪瑙巧雕荷塘圖鼻煙壺，著於R.Kleiner，《Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch》，香港，1987年，頁119，編號168。