A BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN 'FIVE BUDDHIST LIONS' SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY

Robert Kleiner, 1993.

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. 1379.

Small crack in the outer lip, part of the crackled glaze but slightly opened and filled with dirt.
"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."

It is impressive to find such charismatic painting on so tiny a bottle. Every beast has a distinct and amusing personality, and the overall impression is of a group of playful cubs doing just what cubs would do when given balls to play with.

The porcelain here is of the more extreme opaque beige material known as huashi 滑石, which apparently helped the painter to achieve his delightful scene so clearly. It has also resulted in as creamy a beige surface as one gets with this material, and the usual accompanying crackled glaze.

The most likely date of this bottle is the Daoguang period, but it falls into the range of nineteenth-century ceramic wares that remain difficult to date accurately