China Chinese red-lacquered snuff box carved with scenes of literati. - 6.2 cm
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Selected by Sarah Le Helley
Studied Asian art and art market management; researched art in Taipei; worked in auctions.
Estimate € 1,700 - € 1,900
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This Chinese Qing-dynasty snuff bottle, dating from circa 1780–1830, is carved from red cinnabar lacquer with literati scenes in deep relief.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
Beautiful and finely carved Chinese red lacquer snuff bottle, also called cinnabar lacquer, dating from the Qing dynasty, probably the late 18th or early 19th century.
The bottle, with a flattened ovoid shape, features a particularly rich decoration in deep relief. The two faces are animated with scenes of literati in a wooded landscape. On one, several figures are gathered around a Weiqi board, the traditional Chinese strategy game; on the other, a scholar is shown at a table, accompanied by a servant. Grapevine-like trees, rocks, architecture, and geometric backgrounds structure the whole and extend naturally onto the sides.
The neck and foot are outlined with meander friezes, while a border of ruyi motifs decorates the shoulders. The contrast between the polished red surfaces and the darker hollows remarkably enhances the depth of the sculpture.
The technique corresponds to tihong, in which many layers of red lacquer are applied successively before being carved. The decorative vocabulary and the quality of the workmanship bring this piece close to a group of Qing snuff bottles associated with the taste of Beijing workshops and the imperial court. However, a direct attribution to the Palace workshops remains prudent and cannot be stated with certainty.
The piece also benefits from an old Belgian provenance, having belonged to the collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker, where it has been kept since the mid-20th century.
Overall in good condition for its age, with signs of use, small irregularities, and a small ancient chip at the lip. The cork is missing.
Dimensions: 6.2 × 3.5 × 1.6 cm
Weight: 42.2 g
This is a collectible snuff bottle particularly appealing for the density of its decoration, the depth of its carving, and the quality of its provenance.
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateBeautiful and finely carved Chinese red lacquer snuff bottle, also called cinnabar lacquer, dating from the Qing dynasty, probably the late 18th or early 19th century.
The bottle, with a flattened ovoid shape, features a particularly rich decoration in deep relief. The two faces are animated with scenes of literati in a wooded landscape. On one, several figures are gathered around a Weiqi board, the traditional Chinese strategy game; on the other, a scholar is shown at a table, accompanied by a servant. Grapevine-like trees, rocks, architecture, and geometric backgrounds structure the whole and extend naturally onto the sides.
The neck and foot are outlined with meander friezes, while a border of ruyi motifs decorates the shoulders. The contrast between the polished red surfaces and the darker hollows remarkably enhances the depth of the sculpture.
The technique corresponds to tihong, in which many layers of red lacquer are applied successively before being carved. The decorative vocabulary and the quality of the workmanship bring this piece close to a group of Qing snuff bottles associated with the taste of Beijing workshops and the imperial court. However, a direct attribution to the Palace workshops remains prudent and cannot be stated with certainty.
The piece also benefits from an old Belgian provenance, having belonged to the collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker, where it has been kept since the mid-20th century.
Overall in good condition for its age, with signs of use, small irregularities, and a small ancient chip at the lip. The cork is missing.
Dimensions: 6.2 × 3.5 × 1.6 cm
Weight: 42.2 g
This is a collectible snuff bottle particularly appealing for the density of its decoration, the depth of its carving, and the quality of its provenance.
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Culture
China
Century/timeframe
Fin du XVIIIe – début du XIXe siècle, vers 1780–1830
Name of object
Chinese red-lacquered snuff box carved with scenes of literati.
Acquired from
Private collection
Year acquired
1950
Country acquired from
Belgium
Condition
Good
Previous owner acquired from
Auction house
Height
6.2 cm
Previous owner - year acquired
2024
Width
3.5 cm
Previous owner - country acquired from
Europe
Depth
1.6 cm
I verify that I have obtained this object legally and that I am allowed to sell it
Yes
Authenticity
Original/official
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