AN IRON-RED ENAMELED SGRAFFIATO PORCELAIN ‘DRAGON’ SNUFF BOTTLE, 1820-1900
China. Of rounded rectangular form, its cylindrical neck incised with a key-fret band, slightly convex lip, glazed interior, painted around the side walls in iron-red with a five-clawed dragon diving through incised waves, all above a border of further wave patterns surrounding a gently tapered oval foot ring, the recessed base decorated with a dragon head among stylized clouds.


Provenance
: Galerie Allain, Paris, February 1944 (according to an ancient family ledger inspected by Cabinet Portier, Paris, France, during their appraisal of the complete de Strycker estate; this ledger remains in the possession of the de Strycker family and may not be copied). Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker, acquired from the above and thence by decent in the same family. Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Université Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France’s post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Chinese art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Chinese works of art. In 1938 they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976). In 1964, the couple lent 174 objects from their collection to the Belgian city of Leuven’s museum for an exhibition titled Oude kunst in Leuvens Privébezit (‘Old Art in Private Collections in Leuven’), and in 1967 they lent around thirty Japanese objects to the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels for their exhibition Kunst van Japan im belgischen Privatverzameingen (‘Japanese Art in Belgian Private Collections’).

Condition
: Very good condition with minor old wear and some firing irregularities. The stopper with a minor nick.

Stopper: Jadeite
Weight: 52.7 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 73 mm. Diameter neck 17 mm and mouth 7 mm.


The body of the dragon
on the present bottle is painted in a fashion that is partially interrupted and covered by incised wave patterns, creating a dynamic effect in presenting a mighty dragon charging through turbulent seas.


Literature comparison:

Compare a closely related snuff bottle from the Collection of Brooks and Dorothy Cofield, illustrated on the cover of The International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society Journal, August 2015. Compare a related snuff bottle in the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number C.446&STOPP-1926. Compare a related snuff bottle illustrated by Hugh Moss, Chinese Snuff Bottles From the Collection of the Rt. Hon. The Marquess of Exeter, K.C.M.G., 1974, p. 37, fig. C.31.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 14 March 2016, lot 6004
Price: USD 2,125 or approx.
EUR 2,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An enameled and incised porcelain 'dragon' snuff bottle, 1820-1900
Expert remark: Note the size (6.4 cm).




1820-1900
年軋道礬紅彩龍紋鼻煙壺


中國，扁平壺，直頸，溜肩，橢圓圈足。瓶內外施釉，外壁粉彩繪製五爪雲龍，一面龍頭碩大，瞠目回望，從暗紋所刻雲中探出，鬃發後揚，氣勢磅礴；另一面可見龍尾，兩側有龍爪在雲中顯現。


來源：
巴黎Allain藝廊，1944年2月 (根據法國巴黎 Cabinet Portier 在對整個 de Strycker 莊園進行評估時檢查過的一份家族帳本所記載；該帳本仍由 de Strycker 家族所有，不得複製)。Robert與Isabelle de Strycker收藏，購於上述藝廊，在同一家族保存至今。Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) 是一位元法國冶金工程師。他畢業於斯坦福大學，曾是魯汶大學教授，同時也是魯汶天主教大學冶金研究所所長，是應用科學學院最有影響力的成員之一。二戰後，他為法國的戰後復興做出了巨大貢獻。Robert與他的妻子Isabelle （1915-2010年）於 上世紀三十年代在大英博物館首次接觸到中國藝術。因爲其風格和美感所吸引，他們決定研究和收藏中國藝術品。1938 年，他們開始建立自己的收藏，從比利時、巴黎和英國經銷商處購買。他們與英國著名收藏家Harry Garner爵士（1891-1977）和捷克著名收藏家兼專家Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976）保持著密切聯繫。1964 年，這對夫婦將他們收藏的 174 件物品借給了比利時魯汶市博物館，用於一場名為 Oude kunst in Leuvens Privébezit（“魯汶私人收藏中的藝術”）的展覽，1967 年，他們將大約30件日本藝術品借給了 布魯塞爾皇家藝術與歷史博物館的展覽 Kunst van Japan im belgischen Privatverzameingen（“比利時私人收藏中的日本藝術”）。

品相：
狀況極好，有輕微磨損和一些燒製不規則。壺蓋帶有小刻痕。

壺蓋: 翡翠
重量：52.7 克
尺寸：含蓋高 73 毫米，頸部直徑17 毫米與壺口直徑7 毫米。


鼻煙壺外壁
礬紅彩繪翻騰於祥雲中的飛龍，隱隱約約，暗紋刻畫洶湧波濤。整體氣勢磅礴。


文獻比較：

比較一件非常相近Brooks and Dorothy Cofield收藏的鼻煙壺 ，見《The International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society Journal》，2015年8月。比較一件相近的鼻煙壺，收藏於維多利亞和亞伯特博物館，館藏編號C.446&STOPP-1926。比較一件相近的鼻煙壺，見Hugh Moss，《Chinese Snuff Bottles From the Collection of the Rt. Hon. The Marquess of Exeter》，K.C.M.G.，1974年，頁37，圖C.31。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2016年3月14日，lot 6004
價格：USD 2,125（相當於今日
EUR 2,500
）
描述：1820-1900年龍紋鼻煙壺
專家評論：請注意尺寸(6.4 厘米)。