SIGNEE DING ERZHONG, DATEE DE L'ANNEE DINGYOU (1897)

Ding Erzhong (1868-1935) ranks as one of the pre-eminent masters of inside-painted snuff bottles. Based in Beijing, he served as an official in the Qing government, although it is his work in the area of inside-painted snuff bottles for which he is most recognized today. Ding's range of subject matter was fairly wide, and even among his favorite landscapes, no two are alike. He drew inspiration from Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming masters. This present bottle is rare because it reflects Ding's taste in Tang dynasty poems and his calligraphic aesthetics. One side is delicately inscribed with four poems from the poet Li He (790-816): Saixia qu, Qi Xi, Guohua Qinggong and Dizi ge. The other side is written with four other poems from aother poet Jia Dao (779-843): Ti Lining youju, Su shan si, Muguo shancun, Jihan chaozhou yu.