A BLUE-OVERLAY MILKY-WHITE GLASS 'BUTTERFLY' SNUFF BOTTLE IMPERIAL GLASSWORKS, QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

of transparent sapphire-blue and semi-transparent milky white glass, each with one or two small air bubbles, with a flat lip and recessed convex foot surrounded by a protruding rounded footrim, carved as a single overlay with a continuous design of a butterfly flying over a rocky ground with lingzhi, bamboo, and flowering narcissus; the carnelian ‘official’s hat’ stopper with an integral finial and collar; together with a watercolour illustration by Peter Stuart

Collection of Paula J. Hallett.
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., 1986.

Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch at the Galleries of Sydney L. Moss, Ltd., Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 1987, cat. no. 86 (and dust jacket back cover).
Les plus belles collections privées de Hong-Kong, Galeries Lafayette, Paris, 1990, cat. no. 8.
Creditanstalt, Vienna, 1993.

Regina Krahl, ‘Exhibition Highlights: Chinese Snuff Bottles’, Orientations, October 1987, p.43, no. 12.
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. 916.

The snuff bottle is in very good condition. The actual tone of blue is close to the catalogue illustration, if not slightly deeper.
"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 body of the present bottle is transparent, slightly opalescent, milky glass of a type found in enamelled glass from the Palace workshops.

Blue is one of the more common colours for this group, along with ruby-red (usually appearing pink because of the relatively thin colour being laid over a white ground), and this is not only a standard palace form, but one often repeated in this group.