A BEIJING ENAMEL ‘BASKET OF FLOWERS’ SNUFF BOTTLE MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

Hugh M. Moss Ltd., prior to 1978.
Collection of Blair Lorillard Hills.
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., 1985.

Snuff Bottles of the Ch’ing Dynasty, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1978, no. 12.
Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 1987, cat. no. 4.
Kleine Schätze aus China. Snuff bottles—Sammlung von Mary und George Bloch erstmals in Österreich, Creditanstalt, Vienna, 1993.
Robert Kleiner, Boda Yang, and Clarence F. Shangraw, Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Miniature Art from the Collection of George and Mary Bloch, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 8.
National Museum of Singapore, Singapore, 1994-1995.
Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, British Museum, London, 1995, cat. no. 12.
Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1997.

Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, December 1980, p. 25, fig. 44.
Teresa Tse Bartholomew, 'Botanical Motifs in Chinese Art', Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, Autumn 1988, p. 11, fig. 17.
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. 1080.

1 Narrow side up into the shoulder with area of painted repair covering 2.5 x 1.4cm.
"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 a discussion of the basket-of-flowers design, see Sale 1, lot 67The design precludes the use of the elaborate borders that are useful in dating palace enamels, and flowers are so common a subject for palace enamels throughout the eighteenth century that to use them independently to establish an exact date is difficult. The quality of the artistry suggests the early Qianlong era, as do the scale and minute detailing of the subject.