An inside-painted rock crystal 'double-gourd' snuff bottle


Ding Erzhong (1865-1935), 1901The well-hollowed bottle painted in subdued color palette to one side with a vertical rock sculpture, flower blossoms in an archaic vessel, and acorus grass in a planter, the upper left with a title of the painting, inscribed by the artist as an homage to Song dynasty masters, dated xinchou (1901) and signed Erzhong with a painted seal, the reverse painted with a rubbing and a couplet of calligraphy to the upper section, the lower section portraying a painting leaf featuring a pine tree, with an additional Erzhong signature and two seals.2 3/8in (6cm) high
|ProvenanceKing Feng Arts Co., Hong Kong, 13 April 1996Ding Erzhong is the sobriquet of Ding Shangyu, a Qing dynasty scholar official from Tongzhou in Jiangsu Province, who was also a calligrapher, seal carver, painter and master of inside-painted snuff bottles. In addition to finding inspiration from Song, Ming and Qing dynasty paintings, his garden scenes with auspicious objects and rock-work were influenced by Zhou Leyuan.The present bottle is one of Ding's masterpieces. It is believed that Ding Erzhong rarely worked on rock crystal. And when he did find a high-quality crystal bottle to his liking, such as this, Ding's passion for the medium is apparent and his talent and skills on painting and calligraphy are presented to the pinnacle. Compare another inside-painted rock crystal bottle by Ding Erzhong, illustrated in Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Robert Kleiner, 1987, p.188, pl.251. 1901 丁二仲 (1865-1935) 水晶內畫雅石花卉葫蘆形鼻煙壺 《二仲》款