Snuff bottle with scene from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio

Ye Zhongsan

1918

Crystal

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A crystal snuff bottle painted with a scene of figures on horseback, possibly from a story, with a carved wooden stand. This snuff bottle depicts a beloved tale from the story collection Liaozhai zhiyi (Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio), in which a celestial maiden rides on horseback with her attendants as she enters the human world. The horse serves as the vehicle that enables her passage across realms and sets the fateful encounter with the mortal man she later marries. Their union, bridging heaven and earth, celebrates love’s power to transcend cosmic boundaries. By placing this scene on a snuff bottle, the artist paired a popular romantic narrative with the elegance and vitality symbolized by the horse. Gallery G333 Gift of Mr. and Mrs. August