A FAMILLE-ROSE PORCELAIN ‘WARRIOR AND OFFICIAL’ SNUFF BOTTLE SHENDETANG MARK, QING DYNASTY, DAOGUANG PERIOD

with a slightly concave lip and recessed, slightly convex rounded-rectangular foot surrounded by a protruding convex rounded-rectangular footrim, painted on one main side with the back view of a warrior in full armour, a sword at his side, and on the other with the front view of a civil official in vermillion robes; the foot inscribed in iron-red regular script, Shende tang zhi (‘Made by [order of the Master of] the Hall for Care in the Cultivation of Virtue’); with an iron-red and turquoise-blue enamelled stopper

The Hon. Irene Austin, Fernhill Park Collection (between 1944 and 1977).
Chinese Porcelain Company, New York, 1991.

Chinese Snuff Bottles from The Fernhill Park Collection, Chinese Porcelain Company, New York, 1991, cat. no. 13 Creditanstalt, Vienna, 1993.
Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Miniature Art from the Collection of George and Mary Bloch, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 150.
National Museum of Singapore, Singapore, 1994-1995.

Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 6, Hong Kong, 2007, no. 1314.

The snuff bottle is in overall very good condition. There are some original kiln grits around the foot (visible on the illustration in the catalogue). The actual colours are slightly deeper compared to the catalogue photo.
"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 Shendetang, The Hall for the Care in the Cultivation of Virtue, was the private residence of the Daoguang emperor, and is discussed Moss et al., 1996-2009, vol. 6, no. 1297. Another bottle from this group in the Bloch collection was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 23rd November 2010, lot 90. 

The warrior depicted here is Xiang Yu. This unusual back view of Xiang Yu is based on one illustrated in Jin Guliang's Wushuang pu ('A record of peerless personalities'), a collection of printed line drawings of noted historical figures published during the last decade of the seventeenth century.