Weiner Mihályné szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 9. (Budapest, 1966)
HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM — MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - Polonyi, Péter: Some Inside-Painted Chinese Snuff Bottles
Our collection includes a signed and dated inside-painted snuff bottle from Chou Lo-yüan (No. 762), who is generally regarded as the founder of the entire ,,school". 6.2 cm in height, the bottle shows on its front side a river curve bordered by trees, a house and human figures, as well as a rocky landscape with a concealed palace or temple (Fig. 1.), while the back side presents the night traffic at the ferry near the towngate (Fig. 2.). Chinese ink, reddish brown, green and blue colours. The following inscription can be found above the landscape: ,,Shih tsai ting-chou chung tung san jih Chingshih Chou Loyüan tso" (,,Made by Chou Lo-yüan at the capital in the 3rd day of the second month of winter in ting-chou year"). According to the Western calendar the date of the inscription would be December 7th 1877, thus our bottle would have a priority of exactly ten years over the inside-painted snuff bottle regarded so far as the earliest one. However, Cammann reminds us of Chou Lo-yüan's bottles being frequently falsified, 21 and this work was certainly done with preference by his brother or cousin Chou Shao-yüan who was working a short time later. 22 If our bottle is examined from this point of view, it must be found that the handwriting of the inscription does not fully comply with that to be seen on the photo which Huish has published, the seal is indistinct (this is generally characteristic of falsifications), the tracing of the inscription and of the picture is somewhat uncertain. Nevertheless, all these relative deficiencies might be explained not only by our bottle being a falsification, but also by its early origin. It would be certainly a contribution to the reassuring solution of the problem if we could succeed in finding out the exact date when the object involved has been purchased. However, on the ground of data available so far we cannot as yet claim our bottle to be recognized as the earliest inside-painted snuff bottle known till now. Although the level of Chou Shao-yüan is inferior to that of Chou Lo-yüan, our collection two of his comparatively good works: No. 50. 407 made in 1906 and No. 50. 408 made in 1907. On the front side of the former (Fig. 3.) there is a female figure leaning against a rock in a garden, while the back side shows children playing tag with a blindfolded person. The flat glass bottle is 6 cm in height and is painted with Chinese ink, as well as red, blue, brown and green colours. It bears the following inscription : ,,Ping-yin tung jih Chou Shao-yüan" (,,Winter day of ping-yin year by Chou Shao-yüan"). The positive seal bears only the sign ,,tso" (,,made"). Due to its contents and its composition, the other piece is far more interesting (Figs. 5—-6.) ; 6,6 cm in height, the fiat glass bottle has adopted the theme of a tale by Pu Sung-ling, which it represents continuously on both of its inside surfaces, so that the continuity of the picture remains unbroken, irrespective of the direction in which the bottle is turned. Cammann has already called our attention to the fact that the illustrations of tales by Pu Sung-ling, who was particularly popular at the beginning of the 20th century, are occurring most frequently on snuff bottles. 23 They can be found on two out of our thirteen pieces (Nos. 50.408 and 3268). However, the proportion is still more conspicuous if we take into account that another theme — ,,The West Chamber" —• can be found only once (back side of No. 3268). It is interesting to read Cammann's statement according to 21 ,,Chou Lo-yüan's work became so famous that the demand for examples of his handiwork resulted in the production of many copies" Cammann OA p. 88. 22 Cammann H JAS pp. 298. 23 Cammann H JAS pp. 317-318.
