Inside-Painted Crystal Glass Snuff Bottle ‘Qingming Shanghe Tu’,
Signed Li Kechang, Dated 1964
The bottle of flattened rectangular form, masterfully hollowed from clear crystal glass. The interior brilliantly painted in ink and subtle polychrome with a continuous, highly detailed miniature version of the famous Song dynasty scroll painting ‘Along the River During the Qingming Festival’ Qingming Shanghe Tu. One side depicts the bustling scene with crowds, boats, and shops, the reverse shows a tranquil riverside landscape with pavilion and scholar. Inscribed in fine regular script: Qingming Shanghe Tu, Jiachen chun yue Li Kechang zhi yu Qi Lu zhi long, and with a seal Ke Chang. Complete with a dark pink stopper.
Height: approx. 3.5 in. (8.9 cm)

Condition: One small chip to the mouth rim, the crystal glass is clear and free from scratches. The interior painting is vibrant and extraordinarily detailed with no fading. The stopper is original.

Note: This snuff bottle is a tour-de-force of the ‘Li School’ of inside-painting, and a masterpiece by Li Kechang (1918-1998), one of the four great 20th-century masters of the art form. Dated to the Spring of the Jiachen year, which refers to the year of 1964, it was created in Shandong Qi Lu. To paint the immensely complex ‘Qingming Shanghe Tu’ inside a bottle only 3 inches tall requires superhuman control, patience, and artistry. Li Kechang was renowned for his fine-line figure painting and his ability to render hundreds of figures with individual expressions. This is a museum-quality example from his peak period.
Detailed condition reports are not included in this catalog. For a detailed condition report or to request additional images, please email the gallery directly at auctions@finesf.com. Condition report requests received after 5pm the day before the sale are not guaranteed. Shipping is not included. Please bid accordingly, as all sales are final, no returns are accepted on basis of condition.