A RARE AND INSCRIBED INSIDE-PAINTED GLASS ‘HUANG CHENGYAN’ SNUFF BOTTLE, BY GUI XIANGGU, DATED 1899

拍品描述

A RARE AND INSCRIBED INSIDE-PAINTED GLASS ‘HUANG CHENGYAN’ SNUFF BOTTLE, BY GUI XIANGGU, DATED 1899 China. The rounded rectangular body supported on an oval splayed foot with a recessed base and rising to a sloped shoulder surmounted by a gently flared neck. The interior skillfully painted, depicting Huang Chengyan on a donkey approaching a bridge over a river in a snowy landscape, his attendant walking behind him. The reverse depicting an equestrian huntsman beneath a cliff face, turning after having put an arrow through a wild goose. Inscriptions: To the bottle, inscribed on the front side with the first two lines of poetry from Chapter 37 of the classic Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, 紛紛鱗甲飛, 傾刻遍宇宙. 騎驢過小橋, 獨嘆梅花瘦. 己亥年作桂香谷, ‘Falling thick and fast, like fish-scales flying, in an instant, they cover all the earth and sky. Riding a donkey, I cross the little bridge, Alone I sigh—how thin the plum blossoms sigh.’ Inscribed on the back side, 奉子峰二兄法正, ‘Respectfully presented to elder brother Zifeng for his correction.’ Signed on the front side ‘Made by Gui Xianggu in the year Jihai’(equivalent to 1899). Stopper: Glass on copper collar Dimensions: Height including stopper 69 mm. Diameter neck 19 mm and mouth 6 mm. The poem is the one Huang Chengyan is intoning as he comes to see his son-in-law Zhuge Liang in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The episode is a comic one, as Liu Bei, who has pushed through the winter weather to persuade Zhuge Liang to advise him in his struggle against Cao Cao in the north and Sun Ce in the lower Yangzi region and has found Zhuge not at home, mistakes Huang for Zhuge and directs all his profuse expressions of humility and respect toward the wrong man. More than classic comedy is at stake here, however. The episode is also calculated to reinforce our picture of Liu Bei as a leader with a unique ability to recognize brilliant advisors and listen to what they have to teach him, an ability that will eventually compensate for his relatively weak position in that dark era of impending all-out war. When he tried, Gui was one of the more accomplished calligraphers among the large group of commercial painters who followed Zhou Leyuan into the field. His calligraphy does not have the elegance or flair of Ding Erzhong or Zhou Leyuan, nor the individuality of Ziyizi, nor yet the absolute control of Ma Shaoxuan at his best, but it is of a good standard and consistent, as is demonstrated here. Gui was also completely uninhibited about its use. Most artists who were not scholars themselves and well versed in the art from youth, tended to keep their inscriptions down to a bare minimum other than on rarer occasions, whereas Gui frequently inscribed long and complicated passages with great confidence, as he does here. The poems in Romance of the Three Kingdoms were among the best-known texts in China and would have been instantly compared with countless other versions by any literate reader. Yet Gui approached it with remarkable confidence and freedom, producing a highly accomplished rendition. Literature comparison: Compare a related inside painted glass snuff bottle by Gui Xianggu, dated 1900, 6.7 cm tall, illustrated in Robert W. L. Kleiner, Chinese snuff bottles: the White Wings collection, 1998, p. 289, no. 204. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 25 May 2011, lot 60 Price: HKD 144,000 or approx. EUR 24,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related rendition of the subject. Note the size (6.89 cm).

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