Possibly by the Palace Workshops, Beijing. Of flattened ovoid form, deeply carved through the layers of cinnabar lacquer with a continuous landscape scene divided by rockwork and trees, one side with a scholar writing at a table in a garden beside an attendant holding a duck, the other with two scholars playing weiqi with an attendant looking on. All carved on a variety of diaper grounds with a ruyi band to the shoulder and key-fret bands encircling the foot and neck.

Provenance: Galerie Max, Brussels, 17 May 1950 (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 descent in the same family. Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) 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 beauty, they both decided to study and collect, keeping close contact with Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976). In 1964, the couple lent 174 objects to the Leuven Museum of Art, Belgium, for an exhibition titled Oude kunst in Leuvens Privebezit (Old Art in Private Collections in Leuven).
Condition: Good condition with minor wear and manufacturing irregularities, traces of use, microscopic nicks, expected minute age cracks, a small chip to the lip. The stopper lost.

Weight: 45.9 g
Dimensions: Height 6.3 cm. Diameter neck 14 mm and mouth 5 mm

Literature comparison:
Compare two closely related cinnabar lacquer snuff bottles, dated 1780-1850 and 1750-1825, accession numbers 27.1.64A-C and 27.1.69A-C.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 20 March 2012, lot 66
Price: USD 25,000 or approx. EUR 31,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A carved cinnabar lacquer snuff bottle, probably Imperial, possibly Palace workshops, 1730-1820
Expert remark: Note the size (5.7 cm).