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† A ‘EUROPEAN SUBJECT’ SNUFF BOX, IMPERIAL TRIBUTE, CANTON, 18TH CENTURY
奥地利
2024年12月17日 开拍
拍品描述
? A ‘EUROPEAN SUBJECT’ SNUFF BOX, IMPERIAL TRIBUTE, CANTON, 18TH CENTURY

China, Qing dynasty, circa 1700-1750 or earlier. The finely cast and incised bronze and silver box is elegantly shaped in the form of a ruyi-head. One side features an embossed figure of a European lady in loose clothing, her hair neatly tied with a floral wreath. Her left hand is raised, with an exotic bird perched with wings extended, while a servant admires her from the right.

The reverse shows a farmer working in the fields, his right hand spreading seedlings and the left holding a sickle, clearing weeds from the field with a jug and scythe beside him.

The lobed sides are further decorated with four cartouches of birds perched on trees, the inside cover bearing a scene of two figures seated atop rockworks within an alcove, indulging in a passionate kiss and flanked by a pair of doves.

Provenance: The private collection of Jules Speelman, London, United Kingdom. With a collector’s label, ‘W21098, Snuff box.’ Bonhams Hong Kong, The Speelman Collection of Chinese ‘Imperial Tribute’ Snuff Boxes, 24 November 2013, lot 6, estimate HKD 600,000 or approx. EUR 92,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Jules Speelman is a world-leading dealer and collector of East Asian art with 60 years of experience. In 1964 he joined his late father, Alfred, in the family business which already stretched back three generations to 19th century Holland and expanded into England around the turn of the century. Originally, A & J Speelman dealt with antiques, from European ceramics, silver, tapestries, and furniture to Chinese porcelain, and works of art. With his father, Jules gradually shifted the focus towards Asia and under Jules Speelman's skilled direction, A & J Speelman is now considered amongst the foremost dealers in Asian antiques, with a particular emphasis on figurative sculpture and works of art from the past 2000 years.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor old wear, traces of use to the interior, small manufacturing irregularities, and a minuscule nick to the base.

Weight: 250 g
Dimensions: Length 10.1 cm

Expert’s note:
Chinese court officials were fascinated by Western accessories, and thus a small number of snuff boxes were created in China during the earlier 18th century to amuse top-level court officials. The main manufacturing center was Canton, where expert craftsmen attempted to do complete copies of the few European boxes brought by foreign merchants, to make elaborate and beautiful 'Imperial Tributes' as gifts to senior Beijing court members. The boxes they managed to create are entirely Chinese confections in a completely foreign taste. They combine the superb Chinese craftsmanship with an exotic foreign object, thus falling within the remarkable tradition of Chinese artisans commissioned by rich Chinese patrons to create amusing and often unfamiliar Western-style shapes that have no origin in the Chinese traditional decorative arts. Such boxes are extremely rare and often surpass their European originals in quality, not to mention examples from Sawasa or Tonkin.

The present box is unusual for its Dutch rather than English inspiration. While the Dutch had limited guidance on Canton craftsmanship, some Dutch elements did influence the potters making Export porcelain for Western buyers in Canton. The style of the clothes and the depiction of the elegant foreigners on the present box suggest a Dutch prototype in the late 17th century.

In 17th to 18th century Europe, every socially prominent gentleman (and many ladies) enjoyed the occasional pinch of snuff, the ground tobacco providing an exotic stimulus during a dinner or a long conversation. This imported luxury was stored in a 'snuff box', a small, hinged container and cover often created in expensive materials like gold and silver, and sometimes enriched with precious stones. When the Chinese aristocracy discovered snuff around 1700, they initially stored it in small containers. However, due to China's climate, airtight snuff bottles, which could be tightly sealed to keep the tobacco powder dry, were more suitable than lidded boxes.



13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium - only for buyers within the EU.

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