AN ENGRAVED PORCELAIN 'THREE RAMS' SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, DAOGUANG PERIOD

Collection of Mrs H. Sooysmith.
Collection of Dorothea Estey, 1974.
Collection of Margaret Prescott Wise.
Collection of Edgar and Roberta Wise, 1995.
Robert Kleiner, 1996.

Christopher Sin, Humphrey Hui, and Po Ming Kwong, ed., A Congregation of Snuff Bottle Connoisseurs: An Exhibition of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1996, cat. no. 87.

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. 1348.

Small crack in foot, following the line of the crackled but open. Otherwise, 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."

For the form, its origins in late-Qianlong agate prototypes, and the strange nature of the metamorphosed handles, see under Sale 7, lot 168, and for others of this shape in other decorative schemes, Sale 1, lot 118; Sale 7, lots 18 and 116; and Treasury 6, no. 1335. This is one of the cases where the transformation of the animal masks through misunderstanding is complete: the two handles look like insects, their hind legs swept backwards, the eyes moved right to the front of what was once the nose of an animal head. One can imagine these little creatures skittering across the surface of a still pond. Unlike the others of this shape in the collection, the handles are not pierced for cords, although their exaggerated depth is maintained regardless. This is also the largest known example of the entire group. 

This bottle has a discreet, almost hidden design engraved in the biscuit porcelain beneath the glaze; this is unique for the group. It seems of which the glaze is crackled and of a creamy colour imparted to a colourless glaze by the underlying cream-coloured ceramic body. In this case the ceramic body is not opaque, although it is not as translucent as some purer white porcelain examples. This suggests that a beige wash of huashi 滑石was added to the surface of a regular porcelain body.