AN AMBER SNUFF BOTTLE

of bulbous rounded form, of transparent dark honey-brown color, superbly hollowed and finely carved with two qilong flying amongst dense cloud scrolls, the tail of one dragon curled around to form the footrim

Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd.

Vanessa F. Holden, 'The Joe Grimberg Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles', Oriental Art, 2002, Vol. 48, No. 4, pp. 65-72, fig. 26.

In good condition with minor surface wear.
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.

An 18th century amber colored glass snuff bottle, attributed to the Palace Workshops, Beijing, carved with an identical design to the present example, even in the placing of the dragons and clouds and the foot formed by a curled dragon tail, was in the Collection of Gerd Lester, sold in these rooms, 17th September 1996, lot 180. The collection of Joseph B. Silver houses a white jade example, also considered to be 18th century and attributed to the Palace Workshops, with the same design as the present amber example. Clare Chu has suggested that given closely comparable bottles appearing in different materials, all of which were utilized in the Palace Workshops and which appear on other imperially attributed jade pieces, it is probable that the Zaobanchu, the Imperial Household Department was responsible for ordering these bottles.