AN INSIDE-PAINTED GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE, BY BI RONGJIU China. Of flattened rectangular form, standing on a short, splayed foot, painted to one side with a scene from Dream of the Red Chamber showing two ladies resting near a bridge, the reverse depicting a mountain and river landscape with two wanderers crossing a bridge. Inscribed on the top right with a short text declaring the bottle as a gift to an older brother. Two seal marks, the reverse signed Rongjiu with one seal mark.

Inscription: One side with ‘by Rongjiu’ and seal mark, the reverse with ‘gifted by brother Mingge’.

Provenance: From a French private collection, by repute acquired from Millon Jutheau on 2 February 1983, lot 124.
Condition: Good condition with little wear and light surface scratches, some nibbles to lip and foot rim, some wear and microscopic scratches to the inside painting.

Stopper: Carnelian
Weight: 29 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 73 mm. Diameter neck 19 mm.

Bi Rongjiu (1874-1925) was the founder of the Boshan School for inside-painting, in Shandong province. The artist is known for his technique of figure painting, with simple outlines filled-in with color.

Literature comparison: Further examples of Bi's work in a similar style are illustrated in Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, ‘A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection’, vol. 4, part 2, Hong Kong, 2000, no. 655 and in Hugh Moss, et. al., ‘The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle: The J & J Collection’, vol. 2, New York, 1993, no. 451.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related inside-painted snuff bottle, by Bi Rongjiu, at Bonhams New York in Chinese Art from the Scholar's Studio on 16 September 2013, lot 4048, sold for USD 5,000. Compare also another inside-painted snuff bottle by the artist, at Bonhams Hong Kong in The Paul Braga Collection of Snuff Bottles on 24 November 2012, lot 185, sold for HKD 40,000.

畢榮九款内畫玻璃鼻烟壺
中國。扁平長方圓肩，圈足外撇。一側繪有紅樓夢寶玉黛玉場景；另一面為山下小屋，文人携侍者過橋。

款識: 一面“榮九作“；另一面上”弟 名閣贈“等字樣。

來源：法國私人收藏，據説1983年2月2日購於Millon Jutheau 藝廊，lot 124。
品相：狀況良好，極少量磨損和輕微的表面劃痕，唇部和足部邊緣有一些小刻痕，內畫有一些磨損和微小的劃痕。

壺蓋: 玉髓
重量：29 克
尺寸：含蓋高73 毫米；頸部直徑19 毫米

拍賣結果比較：比較一個相近的畢榮九内畫鼻烟壺, 見紐約邦翰思Chinese Art from the Scholar's Studio 2013年9月16日 lot 4048, 售價USD 5,000；比較另一件畢榮九内畫鼻烟壺，見香港邦翰思The Paul Braga Collection of Snuff Bottles 2012年11月24日 lot 185, 售價HKD 40,000。