AN INSIDE-PAINTED ROCK CRYSTAL SNUFF BOTTLE Signed Ye Zhongsan and dated 1931AN INSIDE-PAINTED ROCK CRYSTAL SNUFF BOTTLESigned Ye Zhongsan and dated 1931 Of large rounded rectangular shape with a short neck and rounded oval foot ring, one side painted with a battle scene of confronted chariots below a descriptive inscription including the cyclical year Xinwei, corresponding to 1931, and the signature, the reverse with the seated figure of the Zhou King Xuan and an entourage, with two supplicant figures kneeling before him below a short inscription. 2 7/8in (7.3cm) high, stopper葉仲三1931年款 內繪水晶鼻煙壺The scene on one side depicts King Xuan of Zhou (827–783 BCE), who had heard a rumor that a woman would jeopardize the town of Jiangshan, and subsequently ordered a mass execution of women. Du Bo (杜伯) who was the Duke of Tangdu (唐杜公) during this period, admonished the king for this decision, and was himself executed by King Xuan, despite being warned that Du Bo's ghost would haunt him. Three years later, King Xuan fell ill and died after dreaming that Du Bo shot him to death with an arrow.The scene on the other side depicts the battle at Mount Longmen between the opposing forces of the Qin and Jin States. Both stories are included in Dongzhou Lieguo Zhi (Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms), a late-Ming historical novel authored by Feng Menglong (1574-1646)