A PINK AND WHITE 'SANDWICHED' GLASS ‘LOTUS’ SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, EARLY 18TH / EARLY 19TH CENTURY

of transparent, pale pink glass sandwiched between two layers of semi-transparent, milky-white glass, suffused with air bubbles of various sizes, some elongated, with a flat lip and a slightly recessed foot surrounded by a protruding rounded footrim, both made up of elements of the design, carved with a continuous design of formalized lotus petals set in a lotus leaf forming the foot of the bottle, its stem curling round to form the footrim; the tourmaline stopper with a gilt-silver collar

Christie’s New York, 3rd November 1977, lot 264.
Collection of Gerd Lester.

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. 98.
Les plus belles collections privées de Hong-Kong, Galeries Lafayette, Paris, 1990, cat. no. 6.
 Kleine Schätze aus China. Snuff bottles—Sammlung von Mary und George Bloch erstmals in Österreich. Ausstellung vom 3. Mai bis zum 15. Juni 1993 im Kassensaal der Creditanstalt, Creditanstalt, Vienna, 1993, cat. no. 96 (and front cover).

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. 818.

Apart from a small flake to the inner footrim, measuring approx. 0.5 cm, the overall condition is quite good. The actual colour of the snuff bottle is a little bit paler and softer compared to the catalogue illustration.
"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 present bottle belongs to a fairly large series where the entire bottle is rendered as a formalized lotus flower resting on a leaf. The popularity of these bottles at court, together with the numbers known to have been produced, suggests the likelihood that they were made at the imperial glassworks. For an extensive list of related bottles see the commentary for this bottle in Moss et al., 1996-2009, vol. 5, no. 818.