Lot 195

[PRIVATE ENGLISH COLLECTION] TWO CHINESE INSIDE-PAINTED 'BOYS AT PLAY' GLASS SNUFF BOTTLES

YE ZHONGSAN (1875-1945), DATED 1940 & 1906

Fine Asian Works of Art

Auction: 06 November 2026 from 10:00 GMT

Estimate: £800 - £1,200

Description

葉仲三 1940年（庚辰）及 1906年（丙午）玻璃內畫百子圖鼻煙壺（共兩件）

both of compressed rounded rectangular form, one painted with boys playing hide-and-seek outdoor, dated to Geng Chen year, corresponding to 1940AD; the other painted on one side with boys playing hide-and-seek in a scholar's studio, reverse with playful boys surrounding a napping scholar, dated to Bing Wu year, corresponding to 1906AD, both with a red stopper, signature and seal of the artist (2)

Dimensions

largest: 6.7cm high without stopper

Provenance

Private English collection, London; inherited from the artist Lottie Davis, by repute gifted to her by the Office of the Chargé d’Affaires in Beijing in the mid-20th century.

英格蘭私人收藏，倫敦；繼承自藝術家洛蒂・戴維斯（Lottie Davis），據傳其於20世紀中葉由北京大使館贈予。

Footnote

Ye Zhongsan (1875–1945) was a renowned Beijing master of inside-painted snuff bottles and one of the leading artists of the late Qing dynasty to Republic Period. He was known for his broad range of subjects, including figures, landscapes, flowers and birds, insects, and scenes from classical literature. His works are distinguished by their strong, vivid colours, lively compositions and refined brushwork, earning him a reputation for being both elegant and accessible. Alongside Zhou Leyuan and Ma Shaoxuan, he is regarded as one of the foremost masters of the Beijing school of inside-painted snuff bottles. The art of Ye Zhongsan was subsequently continued by his sons, who helped transmit and develop the Ye school of inside painting and influenced later generations of artists.

Ye Zhongsan began painting his well-known scenes of small groups of children at play in 1896 and continued to revisit the subject throughout his career. The subject expresses wishes for male progeny and the blessing of a prosperous and flourishing lineage. The subject is conventionally known as ‘One Hundred Boys’, regardless of the actual number of children depicted. For further examples of this subject, one signed Ye Zhongsan, and by Ye Family, dated 1921, sold at Christie's New York, 17 Sep 2008, lot 84; the other also signed Ye Zhongsan, dated 1918, sold at the same saleroom as above, 24 Mar 2022, lot 894.