China. Of flattened ovoid form, deeply carved through the layers of cinnabar lacquer with a continuous landscape scene divided by trees and rockwork into two separate subjects, each depicting an elderly scholar and boy attendant walking in a fenced garden, all on a variety of diapered grounds in red and black lacquer, below a band of key-fret carved to the neck.

Provenance: Gagnebin, Brussels, Belgium, 13 August 1945 (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. Two old inscribed labels to the base. 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 Universite 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 Privebezit ('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: Fair condition with some wear, manufacturing irregularities, expected minor age cracks, losses around the rim, and minuscule nicks. The stopper lost.

Weight: 53.7 g
Dimensions: Height 57 mm, Diameter neck 15 mm and mouth 6 mm

The present snuff bottle belongs to a well-known group, masterfully carved in lacquer and splendidly sculptural, covering a range of delightful subject matter usually drawn from popular dramas, operas or novels, or myths and legends. We can be sure that the group as a whole was imperial, even if we cannot be sure that every last example was made for the court. If they were for example made in Suzhou, the same workshops might have made a few pieces for private sale as well.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 16 March 2016, lot 409
Price: USD 11,250 or approx. EUR 13,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A well-carved red and dark-green lacquer snuff bottle, probably Imperial, 1730-1800
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of carving, and two-color lacquer. Note the size (5.4 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 November 2011, lot 46
Price: HKD 118,750 or approx. EUR 20,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A carved cinnabar lacquer 'figures' snuff bottle, probably Imperial, 1730-1800
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of carving, and two-color lacquer. Note the size (6.1 cm).