AN IMPERIAL INSCRIBED MOULDED GOURD SNUFF BOTTLE PALACE WORKSHOPS, QING DYNASTY, DAOGUANG PERIOD

with a flat lip and protruding flat foot, from a nine-part mould, each panel of the faceted octagonal body with a line of five characters, which together form the text of Du Fu’s Night Banquet at the Villa of Master Zuo framed between bands of continuous leiwen, two at the neck and shoulders, and one around the base, the upper neck rim, lip, and inner neck of ivory; the horn and ivory stopper decorated with a yin yang symbol framed by a series of inlaid dots

Michael Hughes, New York, 2002.

Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 7, Hong Kong, 2009, no. 1508.

Apart from one small insect hole on one panel and some typical softening of the surface from use, the snuff bottle is in overall good condition. The actual colour of the ground is more ochre yellow, a little less orange 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 moulded inscriptionon the present bottle may be translated as follows:

Through the windy wood descends a slender moon;
My robe dew-moistened as clear notes flow from my qin.
An unseen stream gurgles by the flower path;
Spring stars shimmer above the thatched hut.
Collating my books, I burn the candle short;
Examining my sword, I take the wine in long quaffs.
My poem put aside, I hear a song in the Wu dialect,
And my intention to sail there in a little boat comes again to mind.

Compare two other moulded gourd bottles, similarly made from the same master-mould, illustrated in Wang Shixiang, The Charms of the Gourd, Hong Kong, 1993, p. 218, pl. 38, with one of the bottles further moulded with a Daoguang reign mark.