A TURQUOISE-BLUE OVERLAY RUBY-RED GLASS 'FLOWERING ORCHIDS' SNUFF BOTTLE YANGZHOU, QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY

Zhirou Zhai Collection.
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., 1993.

Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 5, Hong Kong, 2002, no. 1043.

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."

There is a small series of magnificently carved bottles with their surfaces covered all over with orchids in a variety of different compositions. These correspond to a genre of paintings with orchids as the main subject, some of which are in the sophisticated handscroll format. One of the bottles, with white overlay on a ruby-red ground and of somewhat similar form to this one, was offered by Christie’s London 12th October 1987, lot 37; and a few in pale turquoise-blue on white are recorded (Christie’s New York, 21st March 2000, lot 861; Robert Hall, Chinese Snuff Bottles IV, no. 113; and Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 28th October 1993, lot 1047; and Sale 6, lot 222, among others).

Rarely less than spectacular, they are obviously part of the Yangzhou output, since some bear the seal found on this one, Jixiang, which is among the common seals on Yangzhou wares (as on Sale 2, lot 73). Several also display the thin upper neck-rim typical of the school.