A CARVED AGATE 'THREE VINEGAR TASTERS' SNUFF BOTTLE18th/19th centuryOf ovoid shape, carved around the exterior with three scholars with their c raised, all amidst a rocky terrace with the stone cleverly carved with gnarled pine tree, the dark patches highlighting the robes of the scholars as well as the surrounding rocks, incised poetic inscription on the reverse, stopper, box.6.5cm (2 1/2in) high. (2).For further information on this lot please visit theProvenance: 十八/十九世紀 蘇作瑪瑙巧雕「三酸圖」鼻煙壺Provenance:Shand Gallery, Toronto, Canada, mid 1980s (by repute)Youran Zhai Collection, Hong Kong來源:加拿大多倫多Shand Gallery，1980年代中（據藏家）香港悠然齋珍藏The scene carved on one side of the present lot is the 'Three Vinegar Tasters', a popular subject in Chinese religious paintings. The allegoricalposition depicts the three representatives of China's major religious and philosophical traditions: Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. One man reacts with a sour expression, one reacts with a bitter expression, and one reacts with a sweet expression after tasting the vinegar. Each man's expression represents the predominant attitude of his religion: Confucianism saw life as sour, in need of rules to correct the degeneration of people; Buddhism saw life as bitter, dominated by pain and suffering; and Daoism saw life as fundamentally good in its natural state.See a painting with the same scene in the Shanghai Museum collection, illustrated inZhongguo wenwu tuan zaoxing kaoshi: Embroidery, Yunnan, 2019, p.202. Inscribed on the other side:Yuanzhen daren yazheng (dedicated to Yuanzhen), sansuantu (three vinegar tasters), signedSuei yuan at the Autumn months of theBingwu Year.鼻烟壺扁瓶形，直口，平底。壺體一面利用瑪瑙天然的黃褐皮色巧雕「三酸圖」，三老翁圍著一圓桌舉杯暢飲，一童子在旁煮茶。反面署款刻：元貞大人雅正，「三酸圖」，歲遠敬拜，丙午年秋月。三酸圖是中國傳統圖案題材，又稱嘗醋翁，取材於宋代話本故事：金山寺住持佛印邀請黃魯直、蘇東坡品嘗自釀桃花醋，佛印言苦，黃魯直言甘，蘇東坡言酸。三位大家後來被引申為儒家、佛家、道家三種文化代表，即儒家以人生為酸，須以教化自正其形；佛教以人生為苦，一生之中皆是痛楚；道家則以人生為甜，認為人生本質美好，只是世人心智未開，自尋煩惱。參考一清代「三酸圖」鏡片，藏於上海博物館，見《中國文物圖案造型考釋—織綉》，雲南，2019年，頁202。