Media

Exhibition “A Universe Within: First time display in HK Suo Zhenhai's Inside-painted Snuff Bottles from the Hong Yuan Collection”

23 Sep 2014

From Left to Right:  Professor Albert Chen Hung-Yee, Mr Yen Chuen-Kuang, Mr Mike Ma Yuh-Hung and Dr Florian Knothe

An exhibition of over 150 Suo Zhenhai's inside-painted Snuff Bottles from the Hong Yuan Collection will be on display for the first time in Hong Kong from September 24 to November 2, 2014 at the University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG), the University of Hong Kong (HKU).

An opening ceremony was held today (September 23) at UMAG. Officiating guests include Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Director General in Hong Kong Mr. Yen Chuen-Kuang, HKU Chan Professorship in Constitutional Law Professor Albert Chen Hung-Yee and Collector of the Hong Yuan Collection Mr Mike Ma Yuh-Hung. The ceremony was hosted by UMAG Director Dr Florian Knothe.

Contemporary miniature painter Suo Zhenhai (1944–2006), a native of Raoyang in Hebei Province, studied the art and culture of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and the painterly styles and minutely detailed depictions of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. A prolific artist, he has exhibited internationally and gained a reputation for his finely executed artworks, as well as for his work at the Hengshui Xisan Inside Painting Art Academy where he taught for years. The Hong Yuan Collection is formed by Mr. and Mrs. Mike and Beatrice Ma whose family has a long tradition of collecting. Their personal interest in Suo Zhenhai's work and close engagement with the artist led to the assemblage of the largest and most comprehensive collection of these distinct inside-painted snuff bottles.

Glass snuff bottles have been made for and collected by Qing Dynasty emperors and noblemen who had an affinity for both snuff and the meticulously crafted containers that held and preserved it. Among the different materials used and artistic styles employed in the making of snuff bottles, those present in inside-painted glass bottles are outstanding for their unique characteristics and their quality of combining delicate painting and small-scale glass sculpture to create a rare, particularly Chinese art form. The museum’s exhibition shows some 150 bottles decorated predominantly with landscape painting and genre scenes. Altogether, the array of objects testifies the Master Suo’s ability to represent ‘a universe within’ and to the more wide-spread and still ongoing interest in and high-quality manufacture of a medium cherished for centuries.

The beautifully composed and painted scenes are closely related to the stylistic properties of scroll painting and testify to a continuous appreciation of ink painting and calligraphy—and its adaptation and rescaling— by twentieth-century literati. This taste and the careful handling of the object and discovering of its detailed quality also reminds of pictorial scrolls as well as the occupation and tactile pleasure scholars enjoyed with other collectables, made-made and naturalia, in both related and foreign substances. For selected exhibits, please click here.

The University Museum’s display coincides with the 46th annual convention of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, which will take place first time in Hong Kong. 

Details of the Exhibition
Period: September 24, 2014 (Wednesday) to November 2, 2014 (Sunday)
Opening Hours:
09:30 to 18:00 (Monday to Saturday);
13:00 to 18:00 (Sunday).
Closed on university and public holidays
For details, please visit http://www.hkumag.hku.hk/about_us.html
Venue: 2/F, T.T. Tsui Building, University Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Hong Kong
For location, please visit: http://www.hkumag.hku.hk/location.html
Tel/Email: (852) 2241 5500 (General Enquiry) / museum@hku.hk
Fees: Free Admission
Website: www.hkumag.hku.hk

Guided Tour for Schools
The exhibition will involve dedicated education and outreach activities. Our museum welcomes all school groups as well as tertiary institutions to request guided tours led by trained docents during our touring hours (Monday-Friday, 09:30 – 17:00). Guided tours are available in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. To request an appointment, please contact Miss Elena Cheung on 2241 5512 or elenac@hku.hk for booking and further information.

About the University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong (UMAG)
UMAG was founded in 1953 as the Fung Ping Shan Museum. It was originally established as the Fung Ping Shan Library in 1932 in honour of its benefactor. For more information on UMAG, please click here.

Media Enquiries:
UMAG Communication Officer Miss Elena Cheung, Tel: (852) 2241 5512, Email: elenac@hku.hk

Landscapes in Four Seasons-Winter
H: 7.2 cm
W: 5.2 cm
Glass
1997
Hong Yuan Collection

Scroll Painting of the Upper River during the Qing Ming Festival
H: 7.5 cm
W: 5.8 cm
Glass
Hong Yuan Collection