A RED-OVERLAY SNOWFLAKE GLASS ‘SANYANG’ SNUFF BOTTLE, 1750-1850
Lot 205 - HS1225

Published: Galerie Comes, Vienna, Feine Snuff Bottles aus China 17.-20.Jh., 1986, no. 43.

China. The flattened globular body rising from a short oval foot to a cylindrical neck with flat lip, carved in relief through the translucent ruby-red layer to the snowflake ground to depict a continuous scene with three goats scattered between bamboo, a pine tree, and rockwork overgrown with lingzhi fungus, all below a full moon shrouded in scrolling clouds.

Provenance: Galerie Comes, Vienna, 1986, lot 43. Zacke, Vienna, June 2012, lot 123. Austrian private collection, acquired from the above.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, few tiny open bubbles, and little nibbling.

Stopper: Red glass stopper with brass and copper fitting, brass spoon
Weight: 57.7 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 69 mm. Diameter neck 15 mm and mouth 7 mm.

The motif of three rams or goats (sanyang) is a pun referring to the Yi Jing, where solid lines represent the male or yang principal, while broken lines represent the female or yin principal. The hexagram tai which represents spring and new beginnings is comprised of three broken lines above three solid lines. It is considered to be in perfect balance with the three broken lines symbolizing heaven above and the three solid lines symbolizing the earth below. The three rams or sheep, standing in for the three solid lines, form a rebus for the phrase sanyang kaitai, referencing the period between the winter solstice and the New Year, when the warm yang energy is emerging, and the earth is returning to life.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 6 April 2015, lot 56
Price: HKD 25,000 or approx. EUR 3,400 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A carved red-overlay snowflake glass snuff bottle, Qing dynasty, 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the related form, colors, and zoomorphic subject. Note the size (7.8 cm).