A LARGE INSIDE-PAINTED AMBER GLASS ‘EIGHT HORSES OF MUWANG’ SNUFF BOTTLE, BY WANG XISAN, DATED 1972China. Ofpressed globular form, rising from an oval foot to a cylindrical neck with concave rim, superbly painted to the interior with the eight horses of Mu Wang, four to each side resting and playing below pine and willow trees, with a river landscape in the background.Inscriptions: Upper left ‘Eight horses painting, in the summer of the Year of Renzi (corresponding to 1972), by Wang Xisan’, one seal.Provenance: From a noted Belgian private collection.Condition: Very good condition with some wear, little nibbling to the mouth. The stopper with small chips along the rim, and surface scratches.Stopper: MalachiteWeight: 209.4 gDimensions: Height including stopper 150 mm, Diameter neck 29 mm and mouth 13 mmBorn in 1938, Wang Xisan (Wang Ruicheng) was the star pupil of Ye Bengqi, the son of Ye Zhongsan, the artist who revitalized the Beijing school of painting in the late 1950s. Ye Bengqi took up the art of enameling again in the early 1960s to teach Wang Xisan, and it is sometimes difficult with earlier Wang Xisan bottles to distinguish them from his teacher’s, or, in some cases, from earlier Qianlong examples. For a discussion of the artist Wang Xisan see H. Moss, V. Graham and K.B. Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, the Mary and George Bloch Collection, Vol. 6, Part 1, Hong Kong, 2008, pp. 273-275. The authors note, 'As an artistic genius, Wang rapidly became one of the finest of all enamellers, both artistically and technically, that China has ever produced’.The charming scene represents the Eight Horses of King Mu Wang, who reigned during the Zhou dynasty in the 10th century BC, and these eight horses were his favorite chargers which pulled the emperor’s chariot as he progressed about his realm to visit the goddess Xiwangmu.Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 10 February 2021, lot 3029Price: HKD 214,200 or approx.EUR 27,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: An inside-painted amber 'cats' snuff bottle by Wang Xisan, dated dingsi year, corresponding to 1977Expert remark:pare the related form and fine inside painting. Note the different material and smaller size (6 cm).Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: London, 12 May 2022, lot 221Price: GBP 8,287 or approx.EUR 9,600 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: An amber 'horses and grooms' inside-painted snuff bottle, signed Wang Xisan, 20th centuryExpert remark:pare the closely related motif. Note the different material, form, and smaller size (6.4 cm).1972年王習三款内畫《八駿圖》琥珀色料器鼻煙壺中國。鼻煙壺成扁圓形，直頸，平口，橢圓形圈足。內畫《穆王八駿圖》，有的則頑皮地在地上打滾兒，有在樹下低頭吃草，動態感十足。款識：八駿圖，壬子年夏，王習三