AN IMPERIAL BEIJING ENAMEL 'PHEASANTS' SNUFF BOTTLE PALACE WORKSHOPS, BLUE ENAMEL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

with a flat lip and recessed concave circular foot having a slightly convex central bulge surrounded by a protruding flat circular footrim, painted in famille-rose enamels with a continuous scene of a cypress and a pine growing together with roses, asters, and day flower (Commelina communis) from the lower part of the picture plane, which is formed of a grassy bank, outcrops of rock, or a combination of the two, animated by a pair of pheasants standing on the bank looking up in the direction of a colourful bird flying towards its companion perched in a nearby branch next to a paradise flycatcher, whose mate is perched in the other tree, the shoulders with a band of formalized lingzhi beneath a band of continuous leiwen contained between rope borders, the foot inscribed with the four-character reign mark in blue enamel, the interior covered in slightly patchy pale turquoise-blue enamel, the exposed metal all gilt; the gilt-bronze stopper chased with a formalized floral design

The Ko Collection, Tianjin or Beijing, acquired before 1941.
Robert Kleiner, London, 1987.

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. 8.
Creditanstalt, Vienna, 1993.
Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, The British Museum, London, 1995, cat. no. 17.
Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1997.

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. 1109.

The snuff bottle is in overall very good condition with only a few very superficial scratches and light wear to the gilding on the foot.
"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 small group of enamelled equivalents of this subject in both metal and glass, in precisely this style and with this composition, adjusted for different shapes. One example, but of a double-gourd shape, in the Seattle Art Museum is inscribed with an Imperial yuzhi mark of the following reign of the Jiaqing emperor. This comparison enables the present bottle to be dated to the very end of the Qianlong reign.