A LAVENDER-BLUE PORCELAIN 'JIANG ZIYA FISHING' SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, LATE 18TH CENTURY

Sotheby’s London, 11th October 1974, lot 105.
Hugh M. Moss Ltd., 1974.
Eldred’s, 21st August 1997, lot 273.
Jin Hing, Los Angeles, 2001.
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., 2002. 

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. 1164.

Miniscule nibbles to the lip discoloured brown. Surface abrasions and tiny scratches from wear. Some slight wear areas of the relief.
"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."

Although an unmarked monochrome may be difficult to date accurately, Sale 7, lot 142 and the reign-marked group to which it belongs to can establish this mould as a late-Qianlong one. A puzzling difference between this bottle and that is that here the interior is glazed, whereas the other is not. This indicates that the presence or absence of interior glaze in the mid- and late-Qing periods should not be used as an absolute determinant of dating, even if  one knew precisely when the initial shift from glazed to unglazed interiors and the reverse in the early nineteenth century occurred.

The subject here is King Wen’s discovery of the strategist who would help him overthrow the Shang dynasty, Jiang Ziya, also known as Lü Shang 呂尚.