A CHALCEDONY 'CAT AND LILY' SNUFF BOTTLE OFFICIAL SCHOOL, QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

Susan Chen, 1990.

Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 2, Hong Kong, 1998, no. 314.

Barely perceptible nibbles to the inner and outer lip. 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."

Until recently, the name ‘Official School’ was used to designate extended production from perhaps several different workshops producing for the court, or even just drawing their inspiration from the style established at court for a particular demand related to the aspirations and values of officials. If to this group the inevitable fringe styles are added, this bottle would appear at first glance to be a rare, unusually small example seems to be of a fringe style. But this is an impression given mainly by a combination of its unusually small size and its shape, which gives it the appearance of a Suzhou bottle. With the well-established Suzhou style, small bottles were much more common than with the Official School, and this compressed spherical form without a protruding foot rim was a common Suzhou shape. In fact, however, there are a number of Official School bottles without a protruding foot rim (see, for instance, Sale 2, lot 56 and Sale 8, lot 1104), and although rare for the Official School, small bottles were common enough at court in a number of materials.

Other than its size, therefore, this is a typical Official School bottle, with a main subject in relief cameo on one main side, enough rocky ground carved from the ground colour as a setting for the main subject, and a few coloured patches on the other side interpreted into a subsidiary design in low relief. Despite its size, it is also one of the more imposing carvings from the school.

The well-rounded, realistically carved cat is extremely well separated as a cameo from the ground plane and is lifted into the masterpiece class by the use of naturally tabby colouring in the material. This second layer of relief colour superimposed on the well rounded carving of the cat gives it the appearance of dappling, which is extremely effective.