Exquisite Inside Painted Snuff Bottle Dated 1966

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Inside-painted bottles, where artists use specially curved brushes to paint intricate scenes on the interior surface of glass or crystal, … Read more Inside-painted bottles, where artists use specially curved brushes to paint intricate scenes on the interior surface of glass or crystal, developed as a refined art form in the early 19th century, reaching their peak during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This is a fine example of an inside painted bottle. The refinement of the artist's talents is evident in the two images he painted. He had a true understanding of Wu School Landscape Painting, established by famous artists as Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming, Tang Yin and Qiu Ying of the Ming Dynasty. The landscape painting on the bottle showed overlapping mountains in the distance, separated from the lands of the foreground by a body of water. An ancient pine tree hangs over a promontory next to a waterfall, near low hills in the foreground. A scholar sits facing the water and attended by a youthful servant. These are all the features found in Ming landscape paintings. On the other side is a well painted composition of banana leaves. a rock and a tree branch. There is a calligraphic inscription of a date and a name. The date is early spring of bing wu year, which is a cyclical date of 1966. The second row is made by Feng Xiang. Feng Xiang in Chinese means offering incense, probably not a proper name but an artistic name. The bottle is slightly larger than contemporary bottles, it has broad shoulders tapering towards an oval foot. The stopper is a clear agate on a black disc.

It is my personal observation that the date early spring 1966 carries a small historical significance. Let me explain: Chairman Mao Zedong officially launched the Cultural Revolution in May 1966. He mobilized millions of young students into paramilitary groups called the Red Guards to destroy the "Four Olds" - old ideas, culture, custom and habits. I am thinking artists who practiced traditional Chinese paintings and made luxury goods such as snuff bottles would be targets for the Red Guards. I surmise this bottle dated 1966 had to be safely hidden through the long years until the end of the Cultural Revolution. How it survived the brutal destruction was amazing. Or perhaps it was confiscated and stored and made its way to the open market to be sold when it was permissible. I acquired it from an auction over 10 years ago and I like it because I have studied Chinese landscape paintings. See less