A busy little bottle.

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

Dear Brenda,
     I just looked at your bottle again, and really like it! I prefer the monochromatic painting to the colourful ones.
     I was actually viewing it because I thought to dispute Steven's comment that it was ca.1920-1950 Shandong school. I remembered it as 'brush-painted' rather than 'bamboo splint painted'. I had mixed it up with the later examples Steven had shown to highlight the differences.
    I should have realised that Steven almost NEVER
 makes a mistake. 
Best to all from cloudy but still beautiful Hong Kong harbour,
Shabbat Shalom,
Joey

[Pat - 查尚杰]

Sorry guys but as much as I like this bottle there is NO way any Shandong painter did this before 1950. It is later...

[seadancer1]

I tried to take better pics but with my camera....(need a new one ) it was no better. The story it depicts is very interesting, thank you guys for your help. 
Cheers, Brenda

[Steven]

Dear Pat,

I respect your comments. Since you could be the collector who have the most middle period inside painting bottles in the world. And actually I am not always right as Joey mentioned, but I did try to learn from every mistakes, since every mistake cost $.

I would respect your comments more if you can say it could be later 1950 instead of " NO way".

Without seeing further detail paintings of the snuff bottle, I will still vote it a middle period bottle, ofcoz I won't say that without any reason.

1st of all, the bottle shape, I have never seen this kind of  bubbly shaped bottle painted after 1950, Would you please point it to me if you have seen any dated ones.

2nd, the painting style.

Here are some links you might want to look at before the discussion of painting style.

http://snuffbottlecollector.com/shi_yuan_shan/shi_yuan_shan_2.htm
http://www.ebay.com/itm/291004193574

How would you date those two bottles? I believe that you own the amber color one, and you agreed it being a middle period of Shandong bottle. if you look the how the leaves being painted, you will see how Brenda's bottle could be a middle period bottle, since I suspect they are painted by the same techniques.

Also please find one bottle attached  less painted than your amber one, but still used by the same techniques.

Beside the leaves, let us see the figure painting.

The those simple outline without any detail Facial features' style is typical middle period style, please take a look the one by Xi yuan shan ren's bottle.

I actually think your amber one and Brenda's bottle could be from  same hand, might be Xi Yuan shan ren, Altho not so positive, just a guess.

Those are why I think it could be a 30s-50s bottle according to the bottle shape and painting style, ofcoz, I am still open to discuss with you.

Steven


 

[YT]

I tried to take better pics but with my camera....(need a new one ) it was no better. The story it depicts is very interesting, thank you guys for your help. 
Cheers, Brenda

Dear Brenda,

Congrats on getting a beautiful bottle.
If you like the bottle, story line is amazing as what Steven has pointed out, nicely drawn.
I think you have a winner there.

As a collector, you will want to be able to relate your personal story to every bottle. Personally I'm still learning and appreciating every bottle that is put up.

Cheers,
YT

[Pat - 查尚杰]

Steven

I have to admit that your arguments make sense.  You could be right. And I actually did mean it still could be a 50s bottle but didn't say it. You have an extreme eye for detail. Cudos. ..and thanks for correcting me or at least convincing me more.

[Steven]

Thanks Pat,

I really like this kind of discussion, since it makes thing clear, we all learn from the discussion.

I didn't pay much attention on every detail of the bottle until I start to think how to convince you. It was just a feeling of being middle period bottle at beginning , but after I researched all the forum to find the right bottle to compared with the bottle, I feel I learned a lot from it, I was not so sure at beginning, but I convinced myself first.

Steven