Item description / significance
This is an inside-painted (inner-painted, reverse painted) glass ball depicting an adaptation of the Song dynasty handscroll painting “Along the River During the Qingming Festival.”
Bought where
in China on Xianyu, the Chinese second-hand marketplace app (from a seller in Beijing)
Age and origin
Painted in 2000, according to the inscription, probably in Hengshui, Hebei Province, in northern China
What I like about it
What attracted me is that the quality of the painting (the level of detail) is high. Also, the seller discounted the price, haha. But, get this: I have another inside-painted glass ball depicting this same scroll, and it was painted by the same guy!!! This one was painted 8 years later, has more detail, and (I think) is bigger.
See below for more photos of this sphere and the other one I bought before, photos from the seller, and photos of other spherical renditions of this painting.
Needle in a haystack
Shopping on Xianyu feels like a very open-ended game of Spot the Differences, a task I excelled at as a child. Why? Because in general, there are multiple sellers offering the same thing, or similar things, and of course I want the one in the best condition for the best price, so I look at the pictures and compare them.
Unfortunately, the comparison has to happen in my head, because this dang app doesn’t have a website version, so I can’t put two browser windows up on my desktop computer and look at the items for sale side-by-side. So maybe a better analogy would be the game of Memory, where you mix up pairs of cards or tiles face down and take turns trying to match them by turning over only two at a time.
In any case, when I saw this ball on Xianyu, it reminded me of the inside-painted ball I bought in Singapore. The subject matter is the same, the level of detail is similar, and the inscriptions are also a lot a like. That’s because the same person painted them!
So I feel like I reached into a haystack and pulled out a needle. How many craftspeople, over how many years, have made how many inside-painted glass balls, and sent them to how many cities across the country/region/world? In two different cities (which are hundreds of miles apart, neither of which is Hengshui where these things are made), two glass balls made by the same one particular painter caught my eye!
Inscription
The inscription begins at the top right.
It starts with the title or subject of the painting (清明上河圖, Qīngmíng shànghé tú), “Along the River During the Qingming Festival.”
We’re not sure about the next two characters…
Then it gives the year and season when it was made (庚辰年 gēngchén nián, 2000, 秋月 qiūyuè, autumn months). The year is written in terms of the traditional 60-year cycle.
Then it says who made it (孙建广作, Sūn Jiànguǎng zuò), and this time the surname is included.
Painter
So, now that we know his whole name, can we find him? Maybe so!
This is the English translation of a (possibly obsolete) page of an online business directory:
Sun Jianguang (self-employed)
Company Introduction: Our store was established in May 2003. Adhering to the business philosophy of “customer first, honest management”, the main products include inner painting snuff bottles, inner painting crystal balls, inner painting ornaments, inner painting vases, inner painting tea cans and other inner painting crafts. Secondly, we also accept customized personalized conference gifts for units or individuals. We will make satisfactory products according to your needs. We will dedicate the wonderful and magical inner painting art to you. Collectors and inner painting enthusiasts at home and abroad are welcome to contact us. We hope to provide you with the most satisfactory service!
Telephone: 0318-7099259
Address: No. 98 Xinhua Middle Street, Zaoqiang County, Hebei, 053100
So, as of 2003, he had a shop in Zaoqiang County, which is under the administration of Hengshui.
Maybe I’ll visit Hengshui and try and find this guy (if he’s still alive), or at least, some more of his works. What might he have accomplished between 2003 and now?
My photos
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Seller’s photos
The Haystack (other Qingming inside-painted balls)
Here are some photos of other inside-painted balls that I downloaded for comparison. I tried to choose a few photos that show the same angle, and cropped and rotated the photos to show just the painted inner sphere—the actual haystack is even more chaotic!
