A YELLOW AND RUSSET JADE ‘GOLDFISH’ SNUFF BOTTLE, MASTER OF THE ROCKS SCHOOL, 1780-1850

拍品描述

A YELLOW AND RUSSET JADE ‘GOLDFISH’ SNUFF BOTTLE, MASTER OF THE ROCKS SCHOOL, 1780-1850 China. Well hollowed, of flattened rectangular form with rounded shoulders, supported on an oval foot and rising to a short, cylindrical neck with straight lip. Finely carved in low relief and neatly incised with five goldfish with fanning tails and large bulging eyes, cleverly incorporating the pale russet areas of the translucent stone of greenish yellow color with cloudy white inclusions. Stopper: Hardstone cabochon in silver and brass mount, metal spoon Dimensions: Height including stopper 80 mm. Diameter neck 21 mm and mouth 5 mm. The goldfish has long symbolized prosperity and plenty in China, its graceful presence cherished in bowls and ponds as much as in art. For millennia, fish have appeared as auspicious motifs in Chinese painting, porcelain, and carving, their forms evolving in tandem with the living creatures themselves. By the early eighteenth century, selective breeding had produced the telescope goldfish, known as ‘dragon eyes’ for their distinctive protruding gaze, from which both the celestial eye and the butterfly telescope varieties later emerged. The butterfly, with its delicately spreading caudal fins, and the celestial, with its skyward gaze, testify to the same spirit of refinement that animated artisans who translated these aquatic marvels into jade, lacquer, and porcelain. A jade snuff bottle carved with goldfish thus becomes more than decoration: it reflects the deep interweaving of natural history, symbolism, and artistic imagination in the Chinese tradition. The Master of the Rocks School seems to have specialized in carvings from two-colored hardstones, such as agate, crystal, chalcedony and jade. The school's main output were bottles carved with landscape designs, but many other subjects are recorded, which may have been partly produced for the Imperial Court. The quality of carving and the use of material in the present bottle are typical of this school. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams New York, 19 March 2018, lot 115 Price: USD 10,000 or approx. EUR 11,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related manner of carving, stone, and form.

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