AN IMPERIAL INSCRIBED ENAMELLED TURQUOISE-BLUE GLASS 'EGRET AND LOTUS' SNUFF BOTTLE WU YUCHUAN, PALACE WORKSHOPS, QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

with a flat lip and flat foot, painted on one main side with an egret in a lotus pond and on the other with a poetic inscription in slightly cursive regular script, preceded by a leaf-shaped seal and followed by two seals, the first reading Shangao (‘As high as the mountains’) in positive seal script, the second reading Wu Yuchuan in negative seal script, the foot inscribed in iron-red Guyue xuan; the jadeite stopper with a vinyl collar

Robert Hall, London, 1993.

Hugh Moss, 'Mysteries of the Ancient Moon', Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, Spring 2006, p. 25, fig. 20.
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. 1092.

There is a tiny burst air bubble to the lip, part of original firing process, with two shallow attendant chips. Therea are some light surface abrasions and typical wear. Otherwise the overall condition is quite good.
"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."

Many of Wu Yuchuan’s earlier, less sophisticated works feature a preponderance of lotus, a simplified palette, the use of inscriptions, seals, and a signature, and the occasional occurrence of the Guyue xuan mark in iron-red enamel on the foot. Compare, for instance, the positions of the upper and lower lotus leaves depicted here, with an open blossom between them and creature on the lower right, with the composition on the two sides of lot 206 in this sale, which has a Guyue xuan mark. The stems are also outlined in dots, and there is a folded-over leaf. In the J & J Collection is another bottle signed by Wu Yuquan that is similar, see Moss, Graham, and Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, 1993, no. 196, with the same, low, collapsed lotus leaf, a yellow circle at its centre, and another high leaf of the same shape as here. Another bottle very similar to the present example was in the Mack Collection (now in the Crane Collection), but on a paler, lavender-blue glass, see Hugh Moss, ‘Mysteries of the Ancient Moon,’ Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, Spring 2006, p. 25, fig. 20 centre, although the colour has seeped out of the illustration). Tis bottle was also decorated with lotus on one side and the same poem and seals as here, but the foot was inscribed Da Qing nian zhi (‘Made during the Qing dynasty’), typical of a group of enamelled-glass bottles produced between 1767 and, probably, the 1780s.

The inscription may be translates as follows:

Men come in pursuit of spring but spring is about to go.
Amid the crab apple, even a village inn is rich in fragrance.
So lovely to encounter, at my solitary lodging, rainfall in the yellow dusk:
Scattered crimson petals flying in a little court.