AN IMPERIAL ENAMELLED GLASS 'FROG AND LOTUS POND' SNUFF BOTTLE PALACE WORKSHOPS, QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

with a flat lip and protruding flat foot, painted on each main side in famille-rose enamels with a frog in a lotus pond, the foot inscribed in iron-red regular script Guyue xuan (‘Ancient Moon Pavilion’); with a jadeite stopper

Collection of Gerry P. Mack, 1965.
Collection of Margaret Prescott Wise, no. 186.
Collection of Edgar and Roberta Wise, 1995.
Robert Kleiner, London, 1996.

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. 1090.

There is a burst air bubble on the lip, which occured during the firing. There is a practically imperceptible nick to inner lip, otherwise the snuff bottle is in overall good condition. There is light wear to the red enamelled mark on the base. The actual colours are consistent with 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 represents a small sub-group of Guyue xuan bottles produced at a transitional stage between the early experimental wares and the classic Guyue xuan wares. The palette used here is slightly extended from the previous group, and a little more sophisticated. The iron red is both applied as a pale wash on its own for some blades of grass and mixed with yellow (by painting the iron red over the yellow in the traditional palace-workshop style) for the edge of the ageing leaf. Otherwise, it carries echoes of the earlier type in the simplicity of the painting; the iron-red outlines to the ruby-pink flowers; the dotting of the ground and stems of the lotus, and the detailing of the leaves.