A JASPER ‘THREE MONKEYS WITH PEACHES’ SNUFF BOTTLE, OFFICIAL SCHOOL, 1740-1870

拍品描述

A JASPER ‘THREE MONKEYS WITH PEACHES’ SNUFF BOTTLE, OFFICIAL SCHOOL, 1740-1870 China. Well hollowed, the bottle of flattened, rounded square shape, supported on a short oval foot ring and rising to a cylindrical neck with a flat rim, carved in high-relief through an upper layer of caramelized amber with a monkey, with finely detailed fur, offering a peach to its young, the back similarly carved with a third lone monkey crouching on a rocky outcrop and holding a ripe peach. Stopper: Glass Dimensions: Height including stopper 65 mm. Diameter neck 15 mm and mouth 7 mm. The monkey is one of the twelve Zodiac animals and is traditionally associated with cleverness and agility, the depiction of monkeys (hou 猴) also carried layered auspicious meanings. Through its homophonic relationship with descendants (hou 後), it expresses the hope for many children, and through its connection with marquis (hou 侯), it conveys a wish for advancement and promotion. When holding a peach, the animal alludes to the Monkey King Sun Wukong (孫悟空) from the Ming dynasty novel Journey to the West (Xiyou ji 西遊記), who famously stole peaches of Immortality from the celestial gardens of the Queen Mother of the West. This association produced the auspicious phrase lingshou xianshou 靈猴獻壽, meaning the 'sacred monkey offers longevity'. The material used for this bottle is also known as 'bloodstone'. The artist has placed the monkeys, both with the typically quizzical expression and elongated noses, on a simple rock setting, while the natural markings in the stone subtly suggest a full landscape background. The stark use of the relief color is highly effective, giving the monkeys great presence in their foreground position. The image of the monkeys, seeming to leap from the surface, is enhanced by the caramel color of the stone, while the greenish-brown ground visually appears to recede. Literature comparison: Compare a related jasper snuff bottle with monkey on a rock, dated 1800-1860, at Sotheby's Auction: Important Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Kaynes-Klitz Collection, Part I: 16 November 1989, Hong Kong, 1989, lot 75. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 25 April 2004, lot 834 Price: HKD 119,500 or approx. EUR 22,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling of the monkey atop the gnarled rock. Note the size (5.12 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams New York, 17 March 2025, lot 197 Price: USD 6,400 or approx. EUR 5,900 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Note the size (6.3 cm).

图片