Collection Cards: Collect
Like many East Asian paintings and prints that Sallie Casey Thayer collected, this snuff bottle’s elaborate mother-of-pearl decoration has connections to literature. The two scenes depicted reference the “Red Cliff,” a Chinese prose-poem written by Su Shi (1037–1101) in 1082. The poem meditates on change and fluctuation as friends enjoy an evening boat trip. The natural, shimmering qualities of the mother-of-pearl suggest the rustling breeze and moonlight’s reflection across the rippling water.
Thayer began collecting snuff bottles during her study and collecting trips to Chicago, where she would often make large batch purchases. A receipt from Deakin’s Art Galleries dated January 23, 1909, reveals that she purchased 26 snuff bottles at a discount for a total of around $1,500. Thayer bought this snuff bottle specifically for her collection at KU from the Grace Nicholson Gallery in Pasadena, California, for $45 on October 3, 1924.
What is one of your favorite stories? What type of object would you like it to appear on and which moment would you choose to depict? Why?
Do you collect things that reference your favorite stories?
Civic Leader and Art Collector: Sallie Casey Thayer and an Art Museum for KU
Like many of the East Asian paintings and prints that Thayer collected, this snuff bottle’s elaborate mother-of-pearl inlay decoration has literary associations. The two scenes depicted reference the “Red Cliff” written by Su Shi (1037–1101) in 1082. This Chinese prose-poem meditates on change and impermanence as friends enjoy an evening boat trip. The natural, shimmering qualities of the mother-of-pearl suggest the rustling breeze and moonlight’s reflection across the rippling water. Purchased from the Grace Nicholson gallery in Pasadena, California for $45 on October 3, 1924, Sallie Casey Thayer acquired this snuff bottle specifically for her collection at KU.
Tap the image above and swipe to view Thayer’s purchase receipt from Grace Nicholson gallery in Pasadena, Oct. 2, 1924.
Exhibition Label:
"The Art of Stories Told," Jun-2004, Veronica de Jong
Carved in low relief from mother-of-pearl is the most significant scene from the prose-poem “Red Cliff” written by Su Shi (1037-1101) in 1082. The same story is illustrated in a handscroll by the Japanese painter Matsumura Goshun (1752-1811) and is also currently on display. Though the scene is small, the Red Cliff appears to be surprisingly lofty and large, its lumpy texture and cropped form contributing to this impression. Three small figures are shown inside a covered boat floating below the cliff, and one assumes they are enjoying poetry and wine in the moonlight. The water’s reflection and the phosphorescent light of the full moon are beautifully suggested by the natural qualities of mother-of-pearl that shimmers when tilted to the light.
