A YIXING STONEWARE SNUFF BOTTLE

of rounded rectangular form, with a cylindrical neck, and tapering to a recessed oval foot, enamelled in blue and reserved on each side with a recessed panel, finely carved and decorated in opaque colored slips with on one side a pair of Pekinese dogs, and on the other a pair of doves

Christie's New York, 3rd December 1992, lot 383.

The bottle is in good condition with expected and very faint surface wear to the blue enamel.
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.

Two similarly decorated bottles are illustrated in Bob C. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, New York and Tokyo, 1976, nos. 334 and 336, together with a brightly enamelled, much later example of the same subject. The subject is one of the most popular on Yixing stoneware bottles and a popular one in the Daoguang period, where it also appears on porcelain bottles in famille-rose enamels. It is recorded that the Daoguang emperor was a breeder of pigeons and that his favored concubine was fond of small dogs. The argument has consequently been made by Hugh Moss and others that the subject matter is possibly indicative of Imperial provenance.

A similar bottle is illustrated in Rachelle R. Holden, Rivers and Mountains Far from the World, New York, 1994, p. 125-6, no. 50, and another in The J & J Collection was sold at Christie's New York, 22nd March 2007, lot 38.