1974 snuff bottle decorated by Wang-Hsi (Xisan), $15,500 (£12,400) at Devin Moisan.
Taught by masters of the late Qing dynasty, Wang Xisan (b.1938) was responsible for the revival of the gu yuexuan (enamelled glass) technique in the years after the Cultural Revolution.
Using modern techniques (including new tools and material and the electric furnace), his works were nonetheless anachronistic, often depicting scenes and figures from dynastic China.
This bottle, dated 1974 with a provenance to an exhibition the following year at Hugh Moss, London, is painted with six boys each holding a red celestial disc surrounded by animals representing the beasts of the Chinese zodiac. The sapphire stopper rests within a silver collar.
Estimated at $500-800 at the auction in Epping, New Hampshire on July 15-16, it brought $15,500 (£12,400).
