A THREE-COLOUR AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE OFFICIAL SCHOOL, QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

Hugh M. Moss Ltd., 1991.

Robert Kleiner, Boda Yang, and Clarence F. Shangraw, Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Miniature Art from the Collection of George and Mary Bloch, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 217.
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. 2, Hong Kong, 1998, no. 260.

Insignificant nibbles to inner lip. Miniscule, insignificant chip to outer lip with a minor bruise below it which looks like flaws in the material and is not too obtrusive. Otherwise in good condition.
"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 process of creating a snuff bottle out of a piece of raw material in the chalcedony range must have been a rather exciting one, combining experience with a liberal smattering of faith. Although an experienced lapidary could judge in general the appearance of a particular piece of stone, its full potential cannot have been wholly revealed until the cutting and even the polishing process was begun. The inherent magic or, indeed, any problems in the stone that could mean the difference between a masterpiece and simply a well-made snuff bottle, would in many cases only reveal themselves gradually as the lapidary ground away more and more material to arrive at the form of the bottle, and as the hollowing, cutting away, and polishing process progressed to reveal the inner qualities of the stone. Yet many decisions had to be made before all this was known. Hence the element of faith. The form, for instance, has to be determined reasonably early on in the process, and yet may prove to be crucial in matching markings in the material which might not be fully revealed by the time such a decision had to be made.

Even the subject, if interpreting natural markings in the stone, must be determined long before the final stages of polishing can reveal some of the subtler markings that may or may not enhance the chosen design. Like all art, it evolved in performance. This was even true to a considerable extent of such straightforward relief carvings as represented by Sale 2, lot 145, but with the more abstract markings, such as this, and with the silhouette group where evocative designs are either entirely or largely natural in the material, it is axiomatic.

There can be little question here that the markings in the material dictated the form. The supremely satisfying tactile quality of this form and its visual elegance are almost certainly due in part to the large oval, darkly-delineated shape on one narrow side.

The compressed, roughly spherical form might have been imposed on any material comfortably, and often was, since it is a common enough profile for a bottle. Even the elegantly waisted neck would be a standard response, echoing and reversing the curve of the shoulders and giving the profile much more vitality than a straight cylindrical neck could have achieved in this particular case. The unusual fatness of the bottle from the narrow-side profile, however, is almost certainly dictated by the oval pattern in the stone, which it matches precisely in its form. Apart from allowing a continuous reading of the natural design as it is turned in the hand, this shape prompts four distinct views, each intriguingly different and all abstract.

It is believed that a great many of these bottles were made by the court for distribution among its officials. While there may be very few individual bottles from this group that one can unquestionably designate as imperial, a great many must have been made by the court at various imperial workshops, and some of these were presumably for the emperor and his family.