AN INSIDE-PAINTED ‘BOYS AT PLAY’ SNUFF BOTTLE, SIGNED YE ZHONGSAN, BEIJINGRock crystal, of almost flawless clarityChina, Beijing, dated Spring of Yichou year, 1925Signed by Ye Zhongsan (1865 - 1945), one of the most prolific snuff bottle painters of the era, the skillfully executed work shows a continuous scene of boys playing ‘Blindman's Buff‘ in a garden with a large tree in the center, surrounded by other boys playing all sorts of games, all neatly painted with an almost incredible attention to detail in various and vivid colors. Inscription (translated): In the spring of the year yichou (1925), done by Ye Zhongsan Seal: Zhongsan Shape: Flattened rectangular form with broad shoulders Hollowing: Excellent Mouth, neck and lip: Short cylindric neck, with small mouth and well-formed inside neck cylinder Base: Oval shape with broad raised foot rim Stopper: Carved coral in the shape of a Chilong head on a gilt metal platelet, no spoon Height of the bottle with stopper: 6.8 cm Width of the mouth: 7 mm Width of the neck: 16 mm Weight: 38.3 gramsCondition: Excellent, with one minuscule chip to lip, hardly visible to the naked eyeProvenance: American private collectionLiterature comparison: Bob C. Stevens, The Collector‘s Book of Snuff Bottles, page 253. (for a short essay on the artist) The Apricot Grove Studio, the Ye Family of Snuff Bottle Artists, Part 1. Hugh M Moss, The Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society v. 14, no. 1, Spring 1982, pp. 1-8. (for a detailed account of the snuff bottles painted by the Ye family) The Meriem Collection of Important Chinese Snuff Bottles. Christie’s, September 19th, 2007, New York, lot 648. (for an almost identical bottle).Auction result comparison: The Ruth and Carl Barron Collection of Fine Chinese Snuff Bottles: Part I. Christies, New York, 16 September 2015, lot 326. (for a very similar bottle)水晶内畫嬰戯圖鼻烟壺,葉仲三款,北京水晶,幾乎純净無暇 中國, 北京,落款乙丑年,1925壺型: 扁長形,寬肩掏膛: 極好 壺口、頸與唇部:短直頸,小口,頸内成型良好底足: 橢圓底足,寬圈足壺蓋: 螭龍形珊瑚蓋,金屬托片,無杓壺高(含壺蓋):6.8 cm 口徑:7 毫米壺頸寬:16 毫米重量:38.3 克品相:極好,僅有唇部細微磕損,肉眼幾乎不可見來源:美國私人收藏