Belated Presentation
Jingdezhen, eleventh month 1899, probably produced under the patronage of Shuyun
Height: 7.83 cm
Mouth/lip: 0.92/2.08 cm
Stopper: Famillé rose enamels on porcelain, painted with a formalized floral design with a gilt finial; contemporaneous
Provenance:
Galerie Betrand Delavergne, August 2011
Published:
Hugh Moss and Stuart Sargent The Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection of Snuff bottles. Part Two. Non-Imperial Influence over the Snuff Bottle Arts.
Famillé rose enamels on colourless glaze on white porcelain; with a flat lip and foot and convex foot rim; painted on one main side with a scene depicting Tang emperor Xuanzong’s 玄宗visit to the Moon Palace, where he enjoys the Rainbow Skirt song and dance as he and the wizard who brought him there stand at the beginning of a bridge in a rocky landscape across which, surrounded by formalized clouds, can be seen his former consort Yang Taizhen楊太真, with a feather-fan bearer and two musicians behind her, the other side inscribed in black running script with a poem, followed by the date, Shi jihai zhi dongyue時己亥之冬月 (‘Dated the Eleventh Month of the year jihai’), the place of painting, Yu Changpu Zhushan shi 於昌浦珠山室 (‘At a chamber at Zhushan in Changpu’), an indication of the inspirational source, Fang Baiyun waishi huafa 仿白雲外史畫法 (‘In emulation of the painting method of Baiyun waishi’), and a dedication, Zanting renxiong jingzeng di Shuyun jingzeng贊廷仁兄大人雅賞弟曙雲敬贈 (‘For the elegant appreciation of kind elder brother Zanting, respectfully presented by younger brother Shuyun’), followed by one seal of the artist, 云 yun (‘cloud’, abbreviated variant of 雲).
The poem reads:
記得霓裳譜，分明在大羅。卻來同日詠，相約眾仙歌。
I recall that that the score to ‘Rainbow Skirts’
Is surely kept at Daluo Heaven.
I’ve come to sing it on the same day,
With all the immortals as arranged.
