'MONKEY REACHING FOR THE MOON'S REFLECTION', AN IMPORTANT CAMEO AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE, SUZHOU SCHOOL Published: Journal of The International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, June 1975, illustrated on the cover, discussed on page 6, dated 1780-1850
Rachelle Holden, Rivers and Mountains Far From the World - The Rachelle R. Holden Collection, A Personal Commentary, New York, 1994, pp. 160-161, no. 67, dated 1750-1850

China, 1750-1850. Superbly well hollowed, of globular shape and waisted neck, resting on a minuscule recessed foot. Finely carved utilizing the opaque white, beige, golden-brown and dark natural layers in the stone to create a three-dimensional scene of exceptional quality, to one side with a monkey in high relief, surrounded by lingzhi and pine cut from the darker areas, reaching for the moon's reflection below him. The reverse with a neatly incised poem in high relief. The translucent stone of a pale gray with inclusions of ochre, white, brown, and greenish-gray.

Expert's note: In this bottle, the master carver draws on a common theme in Chan Buddhism: A monkey trying to capture the moon's reflection in water. This image derives from an early Buddhist story in which five hundred monkeys hold onto each other's tails and attempt to seize the reflection of a moon in a well. They fail when the branch from which they are hanging suddenly breaks. The monkeys in this story stand for unenlightened people who cannot distinguish between reality and illusion. On the other side the monkey, hou, is a homonym for the word marquis, the second highest grade among the nobility, and represents the aspiration for a corresponding rise in rank. For this reason, it may be assumed that the present bottle was intended both as a good luck charm and a cautionary tale.

Inscription: Top right 'cai zhi xian cao ying chang chun' (everlasting spring is reflected in the celestial herb of immortality).

Provenance: Janos Szekeres, Connecticut, USA. Sotheby's New York, 27 October 1986, lot 174 (dated 1800-1880). Christie's New York, 27 November 1991, lot 123. Rachelle R. Holden, New York, acquired from the above. A collector's label from Rachelle Holden with inventory number '212' to the base. Janos Szekeres (1914-1998) was a scientist, inventor, and businessman. Born in Hungary, he later attended the University of Vienna where he graduated in chemistry. In 1941 he enlisted in the US Army Air Force and was sent to Asia, where he spent his free time visiting antique shops and became a collector of Chinese art. Szekeres served on the Board of Directors of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society and of the Chinese Art Committee of the Harvard University Art Museums. Rachelle Holden (1934-2020) was a famous collector of snuff bottles. She purchased her first snuff bottle in 1974, finding the art form fascinating as it combined all the classic forms of Chinese art, and would continue to passionately collect them for the rest of her life.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor old wear, minuscule nibbling to rim, mouth, and exposed areas. The stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time.

Stopper: White and russet hardstone stopper
Weight: 44.7 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 55 mm. Diameter neck 16 mm and mouth 5 mm.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's Hong Kong, 28 November 2005, lot 1525
Price: HKD 420,000 or approx. EUR 78,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A finely carved Suzhou agate snuff bottle
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, the singular appearance and utilization of the opaque white layer in the stone, the color of the agate, the fine incision work, as well as the closely related size (55 mm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 May 2010, lot 55
Price: HKD 360,000 or approx. EUR 61,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An agate 'Liu hai' snuff bottle, Zhiting School, Suzhou, 1730-1850
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, the singular appearance and utilization of the opaque white layer in the stone, the color of the agate, the fine incision work, as well as the related size (44.1 mm).



蘇作瑪瑙巧雕 “猴子撈月”鼻烟壺
中國，1750-1850年。掏膛極好，弦唇，束頸，豐胸，收腹，平底。精細雕刻，巧妙利用瑪瑙不透明的白色、米色、金棕色和深色天然紋理，營造出自然生動的猴子撈月場景，周圍可見靈芝和松木 ，猴子伸手去撈他腳下的月亮倒影。淺灰色半透明石料，夾雜著赭色、白色、棕色和灰綠色。

出版：《中國鼻烟壺學會期刊》，1975年6月，封面圖片，文字見第6頁，斷代1780-1850年間。
Rachelle Holden，Rivers and Mountains Far From the World - The Rachelle R. Holden Collection，A Personal Commentary，New York，1994年，頁160-161，編號67，斷代1750-1850 間。

專家注釋:《群猴撈月》原是一則流傳於古印度的寓言故事，後經佛教徒附加上宗教的涵義收入佛典，隨著佛典漢澤傳入中國。這則寓言提示人們看問題一定要看清它的本質，不要為表面現象所迷惑，草率行事而造成白費力氣的結果。

款識：採芝仙草映長春

來源：美國康乃狄克州Janos Szekeres收藏；1986年10月27日紐約蘇富比 lot 174 (斷代為1800-1880)；1991年11月27日紐約蘇富比 lot 123；紐約Rachelle R. Holden購於上述拍賣。底部可見Rachelle Holden 的收藏標籤號 “21”。Janos Szekeres (1914-1998) 曾是一位科學家、發明家和商人。他出生於匈牙利，後來就讀於維也納大學化學係。1941年他應徵入伍，被派往亞洲，空閑時間逛古董店，成為中國藝術品收藏家。Szekeres 曾擔任國際中國鼻烟壺協會和哈佛大學藝術博物館中國藝術委員會的董事會成員。Rachelle R. Holden（1934-2020年）是著名的中國鼻烟壺收藏家。 她於 1974 年購買了她的第一個鼻烟壺，從而發現了鼻烟壺其迷人之處，因為它結合了中國藝術的所有經典形式。之後，她持續不斷地收集鼻烟壺。
品相：品相極好，有輕微磨損，邊緣、壺嘴等有輕微的磕損。具有天然裂縫的瑪瑙，隨著時間的推移，其中一些可能已經發展成細小的裂縫。

壺蓋：硬石
重量：44.7 克
尺寸：高 （含蓋）55 毫米，頸部直徑16 毫米及壺口直徑5 毫米

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港佳士得，2005年11月28日，lot 1525
價格：HKD 420,000（相當於今日EUR 78,000）
描述：蘇州作瑪瑙鼻烟壺
專家評論：比較非常相近的外型，特別的半透明石料和運用、瑪瑙的顏色、精緻的雕刻，以及非常相近的尺寸(55 毫米)。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港邦瀚斯，2010年5月28日，lot 55
價格：HKD 360,000（相當於今日EUR 61,000）
描述：1730-1850年蘇州作芝亭流派劉海瑪瑙鼻烟壺
專家評論：比較非常相近外型，特別的半透明石料和運用、瑪瑙的顏色、精緻的雕刻，以及相近的尺寸 (44.1 毫米)。