AN IRON-RED AND UNDERGLAZE-BLUE PORCELAIN 'INDIAN LOTUS' DOUBLE SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

Cai Shi Xuan (Stone Picking Studio) Collection.
Sotheby’s London, 21st June 1995, lot 161.

Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, Autumn 1995, p. 29, fig. 7.
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. 1187.

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."

From the mid-Qing period, and possibly from the last decades of the eighteenth century, this striking design would fit comfortably into the inventiveness of the last decade of the Qianlong reign. The glazed interiors may not accord with the broader range of late-eighteenth century porcelain bottles, but may have been dictated by the exposure of the inner walls by the uncompressed form. 

One can propose an association with the court on the basis of the popular imperial design and the exceptional quality of the workmanship, but also because they were obviously made in a series of sets, so typical of imperial production of porcelain snuff bottles.

The control of the underglaze cobalt here, despite its being on normal porcelain, is unusually fine, and the painting of the iron-red design is spectacular. One only has to compare it with the slightly devolved, probably later version of Sale 5, lot 90 to recognize the transcendent quality of this version.

This is the only example of the group with matching, possibly original stoppers. Although imitation of jadeite and coral cabochons in porcelain is well-attested among stoppers dating from the Jiaqing or Daoguang periods, the gilt-bronze mounts are not. Early porcelain stoppers of this sort usually have an integral porcelain collar imitating gilt bronze, rather than real gilt-bronze collars.