AN INSIDE-PAINTED ROCK CRYSTAL ‘TROMPE L’OEIL’ SNUFF BOTTLE

Of flattened form, with slightly concave top, finely painted on the interior on one main side with a collection of old, tattered and inscribed paper items, including envelopes, books and rubbings, the reverse painted with an excerpt from a Tang dynasty historical chronicle.

Inscriptions: Signed ‘Ma Shaoxuan’, one seal, and dated to the third month of the Wuxu year (corresponding to 1898) Provenance: Robert Kleiner, London, 1992. Diameter neck 19 mm and mouth 6 mm. The calligraphy on the reverse side of this bottle is transcribed from the famous Tang stele by Ouyang Xun called Jiu Cheng Gong li quan ming (The Sweet Spring of Jiucheng Palace). The paintings on the other side include burnt and torn examples of the Jin Hui Dui and a fan-shaped painting by Yun Shouping, calligraphy from the book entitled Zuo Zhong Tang (a famous general), a torn book entitled Si Shu (essential reading for scholars), and an envelope inscribed You Shanghai Ji (posted from Shanghai).