C23 A “May you be conferred with high rank and emoluments” snuff bottle

Description

Description:  Chinese snuff bottle of meiping form, decorated in underglaze cobalt blue and copper red with a deer, a wasp and a monkey. This form a complex rebus that originated in Ming dynasty and continued to be popular in Qing dynasty. The “deer” (lu) stay for “official salary”, the wasp (feng) stay for “confer” (feng), and the “monkey” (hou) stay for “high-ranking noble”. Then the hidden meaning is lu fenghou “May you receive a high rank and official salary”.

Mark:  No marks

Dating:  19^th century

Material:  Porcelain, glazed inside.

Size:  78 mm high

Stopper:  Green jade with bone spoon

Provenance:  Antiquarian market

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