Red overlay glass snuffbox on a translucent background decorated with Mi Fu, China, imperial workshops, 1750-1820 Of flattened oblong form, decorated on one side with Mi Fu under a large gnarled pine tree calligraphing on a rock, his servant holding an inkstone standing behind him. On the reverse, a scholar is depicted in a moonlit pavilion, seated at a table with a book and candlestick. Below the pavilion, a small servant sweeps. Oval foot circled with red overlay. Turquoise stopper topped with a white glass half-pearl. Height: 7 cm Small chip on the candlestick. Provenance : Jutheau sale, Hôtel Drouot, November 12, 1984, lot n°37. This scene depicts the scholar and calligrapher Mi Fu (1051-1107), famous for his reverence of learned stones. He is shown bowing or writing on a rock, which he considered a living being and a source of artistic inspiration. The rock, at the center of the composition, symbolizes the Chinese literary ideal: communion between cultured man, nature and art.