85 - A ‘FAMILLE-ROSE’ PORCELAIN ‘MAGPIE AND ZODIAC’ DOUBLE SNUFF BOTTLE 1800-1860

A ‘FAMILLE-ROSE’ PORCELAIN ‘MAGPIE AND ZODIAC’ DOUBLE SNUFF BOTTLE 1800-1860 To Be Sold Without Reserve Made up of two quadruple lozenge shapes, each with its outer edge with a convex curve tapering towards the foot, and each surmounted by rounded shoulders tapering to a cylindrical mouth, painted on one bottle with thirty magpies in flight and on the ground and on the other with the twelve animals of the zodiac with the addition of a bee in association with the monkey, the shoulders with floral sprays, the main decoration bordered by a double red line at the upper edge and a single red line at the base, the foot painted in iron-red with an eternal knot, one of the sacred symbols of Buddhism, in each section Height: 7cm Provenance: Hugh M. Moss Ltd. 1972 Alex S. Cussons Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd, 26th September 1996, (a copy of the original invoice available) The subject of thirty magpies relates to an amusing tale recounted by Zhao Zhiqian in his 1860’s book on snuff bottles about a man who was the subject of a confidence trick by a collector who showed him on the first day of the month a bottle with a single magpie, and on subsequent days, whenever they met, there would be the same number of magpies as days that had passed. On the thirtieth day the man had bought the bottle for a large sum only to find that the thirty magpies thereon did not change any more (see Richard John Lynn, `Research done during spare time into the Realm of Yong Lu, God of the Nose: The Yonglu Xianjie of Zhao Zhiqian’ in JICSBS, Autumn 1991, p. 20 Ω This Lot was imported outside of the UK, under the Temporary Admission scheme. 5% import VAT will be charged on the ‘hammer’ price and 20% VAT will be charged on the ‘buyer’s premium’. If proof of export outside of the UK can be provided for this item within 3 months of the sale date, then the VAT can be refunded. Please contact us for further details and shipping advice