B62

Quartz, rock crystal, of rounded rectangular form, painted inside with tones of sepia and grisaille with Buddhist lions at play, the reverse with an inscription which reads: -  

'Only heaven (is above).  No hills can equal it.  The red sun is near and as one turns one's head the white clouds are near.'

Signed: Gan Xuanwen, early school
Dated: Second year of Daoguang, Autumn, ninth month, 1822, Lingnan
Stopper: pink rose quartz
Provenance: Sotheby's, 1974
Published: Early inside Painted Snuff Bottles by Gan Xuanwen in ICSBS journal, December 1974
by A.O.Blishen, OBE.
Height: 5.5cm

This fine early school rock crystal inside painted bottle was until some years ago the earliest recorded.  Early school inside painted bottles are well loved by purists, as there are many attributes that link them to the Lingnan School of Painting.  The work is traditional in style and composition and some scenes were indeed copied from known paintings. It is rare and exciting to find an early school inside painted bottle that is accurately signed and dated.