CA Book Publishing – serie

The owner of The Lotus Pond Collection first ran into Chinese snuff bottles in an antique store in San Francisco in 1993 and has been fascinated by them ever since.

This collection covers mostly imperial porcelain and enamel on metal snuff bottles from the Qianlong period, mid-Qing imperial glass and jade snuff bottles, and some organic snuff bottles from mid-Qing. Others include bottles from Jingdezhen, Yangzhou and Suzhou Schools, Beijing glasses, inside painted and enamel on glass snuff bottles. There are also samples of Official School agate snuff bottles.

The whole collection covers 500 plus snuff bottles and was named The Lotus Pond Collection as it is the name of the owner’s hometown.

It is not only the quality and beauty of the bottles that will hold appeal for collectors but also the scholarly expertise which is apparent throughout the collection. This reflects the interest that the owner of the collection has in the cultural significance of his collection.

Text in English and Chinese.

This exhibition catalogue features 20 exquisite pieces of Chinese works of art, with the majority dated from the Song dynasty. Exhibited items include a Neolithic period pottery bottle; Machange-type Neolithic Period jars; Northern Song to Jin Dynasty June ware of Li-type tripod censer; a bubble-bowl with blue glaze and splashes; Northern Song Jun-type sky blue-glazed plate with everted rim and rose-purple splashes, Qingliangsi Ware; a celadon glazedlobed candlestick, Longquan ware; a sky-blue glazed ware dropper carvedwith peony design, Yaozhou Ware; a persimmon-red glazed saucer, Ding ware; white glazed small cup, Xing ware; paper-mallet vase with iron-rust splashes, Cizhou ware; porcelain child-shaped pillow, Changzhiware.Text in English and Chinese.

Jason Chen, the owner of this collection, is a man with a passion for life, of which much time is devoted to collecting snuff bottles, although he runs a thriving business. His collection houses over 2,000 bottles, with a select portion shown in these two volumes. Volume I illustrates bottles from varying materials, while the second, slimmer volume shows part of Jason's collection of miniature snuff bottles. While the whole collection is a work of art in itself, Jason, like other passionate collectors, has a story for every bottle, often the story of acquisition. He is a collector who enjoys both the thrill of the chase and the pleasure of ownership. When other collectors think of Jason Chen and his collection, they often speak of his love of great agate bottles.Few collectors have dedicated themselves to forming a collection of miniature snuff bottles in the way that Jason has. For the most part, although collectors have affection for the smallest of the small, Jason has applied himself to hunting down and acquiring these minute treasures.Text in English and Chinese.

The Chinese title of this book reads “The Profound Reflection of Brushpots: A Collector’s Enlightenment” literally, citing reference to the book Imperial Profound & Reflective Encyclopedia commissioned by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, and The Collected Works of Long Ying, published during the reign of Emperor Wanli, Ming Dynasty. The word “Profound” was chosen meticulously to highlight the breadth and variety of the brush pots collected, and the proposition of their illustrations. The author’s intent to make this book an encyclopedia of brush pots was fairly explicit. On the other hand, “reflection” comes from a mirror, which shows how you look and who you are. It represented the collector’s experience in soul-searching and self-reflection during his journey of art appreciation. Text in English and Chinese.

This Shang Shan Tang collection is one of the rare assemblages of Chinese ceramics specialising in Yaozhou wares. With over a hundred examples, it is very likely the largest repository of its kind; covering an extremely wide range of Yaozhou artefacts of outstanding quality, including both classic types and highly rare specimens, it is uniquely suited to illustrate the kilns’ history. This catalogue covers extremely rare black and white and celadon-green wares samples of Tongchuan kilns made Yaozhou wares from the Tang dynasty and Five Dynasties. This catalogue also includes a magnificent and wide range of Song's pieces such as the most iconic dishes and bowls with carved nature motifs and combed details, which feature peony and other flower patterns, ducks, fish and conch shells among lotus or waves; and with similar molded designs of flowers, boys among flowers, or fish among waves. This catalogue is one of the most important reference books for Yaozhou wares and is a must for collectors and connoisseurs of Yaozhou wares to own it.Text in English and Chinese.

These 100 examples, from various Neolithic cultures throughout the region known today as China, are described in this catalogue by the collector himself, focusing on their design and engineering ingenuities and their artistic merits. After a 50-year career in consumer product design, author Ronald W. Longsdorf applies the principles of that discipline to these marvellous pots. Thisis the only book currently available in the market for collectors who wish to study Neolithic ceramics from China from this exquisite collection. It includes lots of information and comparisons from other pieces in museums.Text in English and Chinese.