A RARE CHINESE INTERIOR-PAINTED AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE SIGNED DING ER ZHONG

19TH/20TH CENTURY

Finely painted to one side with a cockerel by a shrub, signed and with a cyclical date ding you, probably corresponding to 1897 and a seal mark, the reverse decorated with a pair of cranes by a gnarled tree trunk, with a turquoise stopper with a floral band decorated with enamel, 5cm.

Ding Erzhong (1865-1935), was a painter, calligrapher, bamboo and seal-carver with a level of artistry comparable to the famous Zhou Leyuan (active 1881-1893). Erzhong educated a number of pupils who later individually gained fame in the skill of inside-decorating snuff bottles.