A CHINESE INTERIOR-PAINTED ROCK CRYSTAL 'BIRDS AND FLOWERS' SNUFF BOTTLE

A CHINESE INTERIOR-PAINTED ROCK CRYSTAL 'BIRDS AND FLOWERS' SNUFF BOTTLE
DATED 1892

Dated the renchen year, decorated with swallows flying amidst a gnarled branch of blossoming peonies, signed Zhou Leyuan, 5.5cm.

WITHOUT RESERVE
本拍品不設底價。

Provenance: from an English private collection, with a copy of an invoice for The Little Shop, dated 6th April 1960.

壬辰（1892年） 周樂元作玻璃內畫富貴長春鼻煙壺
題識：壬辰重陽月寫於京師，周樂元。
來源：英國私人收藏，1960年4月6日購於香港天和行古玩玉器（附發票複印件）。

Zhou Leyuan, a prolific late 19th-century interior miniature artist and founder of the popular Beijing School of Snuff Bottle Painting, was active from 1879 to 1893 during the Guangxu reign of the Qing dynasty. Every artist from the school's first phase owed a significant debt to Zhou, with many beginning their careers by imitating his style and even signing his name; some appeared to dedicate much of their careers to reproducing his work.