AN ENAMELLED PORCELAIN SNUFF BOTTLE

of flattened spade shape on a flat foot and waisted neck, painted in famille-rose enamels, iron-red and gilding, the slightly recessed faces of convex form, both faces depicting boys playing in a garden, one featuring two boys chasing a fluttering bat, the reverse with one boy lighting firecrackers while another anticipates the sound by muffling his ears with his hands, both panels enclosed by gilt borders, the slender sides with stylized lotus scrolls on a yellow enamel ground, the base with a four-character iron-red Qianlong nianzhi seal mark

Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd.
Ko Collection (452/IS), Beijing, 1924.

In good overall condition with expected wear to the gilding, particularly on the mouth. Some kiln sand on the panels, but very faint.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This bottle is an anomaly among its peers, it being an exceptional example even as the quality and quantity of snuff bottles made in the Palace style in Jingdezhen from the 18th to the early 19th century was on the decline.

The motif of boys at play was a popular subject in the decorative arts of China. For another Qianlong seal mark and period example, but of upright ovoid shape, see one formerly sold in our London rooms, 9th June 1981, lot 144 and illustrated in Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle: The J & J Collection, New York, 1993, Volume I, pp. 363-364, no. 210.