Additional Images

Provenance:

Chinese Porcelain, Works of Art and Snuff Bottles from a Notable North York Collection (lots 163-190)
Purchased in Geneva, London and Toronto during the 1960’s.

Note:

The illustrated scene represents a fictional event from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms involving one of the most revered strategists of the time, chancellor of the Shu Han state, Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi, leader of the Wei army from the rival state Cao Wei.
During the first Northern Expansion, Zhuge Liang’s unsuccessful efforts to invade Chang’an left him vulnerable to attack by advancing armies. However, using reverse psychology and the “empty fort strategy,” one of 32 stratagems outlined in an early essay on politics, war, and civil interaction, Zhuge Liang was able to thwart the Wei army’s attempts.
In the scene depicted on the snuff bottle, Zhuge Liang is prominently seated atop the open gates of the western city playing the guqin as the Wei army, led by Sima Yi approaches. Creating the illusion that Zhuge Liang was calm and prepared to fight, the seemingly brazen invitation to battle triggered fears of ambush and Sima Yi, along with the whole Wei army retreated. Although fictionalized, this story is one of the best-known literary examples demonstrating the “empty fort strategy”.