AN EMERALD-GREEN AVENTURINE-GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG / EARLY JIAQING PERIOD

of transparent, bluish emerald-green glass with a few scattered air bubbles, and with surface inclusions of aventurine-glass with a flat lip and a concave foot, the foot inscribed in seal script Xuegutang (‘Hall for the Study of Antiquity’) filled with red pigment; the tourmaline stopper with a gilt-silver collar

Robert Kleiner, London, 1999.

Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 5, Hong Kong, 2002, no. 754.

There are a few tiny chips to inner and outer lip, not at all obtrusive, otherwise the snuff bottle is in good condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The foot bears the studio name ‘Hall for the Study of Antiquity’ in confidently-inscribed seal script. There were several places in China with this name, but this is an imperial type of bottle, made to the standards of the court glassworks and inscribed in the same manner as palace reign marks, so this bottle is obviously associated with the Hall for the Study of Antiquity in the Jingyi yuan (now Xiangshan Park) near Beijing. The Jingyi yuan underwent major development as a secondary palace starting in 1745, and the Hall for the Study of Antiquity was probably built sometime in the next decade or so, because the Qianlong emperor wrote twenty-three poems on the hall between 1759 and 1795.