- 182
A RUBY-RED OVERLAY WHITE GLASS 'DRAGONS AND PEARL' SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, YONGZHENG / QIANLONG PERIOD
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 HKD
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Description
- glass
together with a watercolour illustration by Peter Suart
Provenance
Collection of Ann Cohen-Overstall.
Hugh M. Moss Ltd., Hong Kong, 1985.
Hugh M. Moss Ltd., Hong Kong, 1985.
Literature
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. 881.
Condition
A minute chip on the fore arm of one chi dragon and a tiny area of wear from use on the chi dragons nose. 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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
The chi 螭 dragon is among the most common subjects on glass overlay bottles. Certainly a popular imperial subject, it was employed well into the nineteenth century by imperial glass carvers. Use of this motif as the main subject on snuff bottles suggests an imperial connection, and when combined with a standard palace colour, as in this case, the imperial glassworks is certainly the most likely provenance.
The light snowstorm ground here combined with a very wide mouth suggests an early Qianlong date, which would be commensurate with the style of carving of the dragons, although in this case it just possibly predates the Qianlong reign by a few years, and represents a prototype for snowstorm grounds.