AN INSCRIBED CHALCEDONY 'QILIN' SNUFF BOTTLE OFFICIAL SCHOOL, QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

Collection of Clarence Hanson, 1982.
Collection of Gerd Lester, 1986.

Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 1987, cat. no. 160.
Kleine Schätze aus China. Snuff bottles—Sammlung von Mary und George Bloch erstmals in Österreich, Creditanstalt, Vienna, 1993.

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. 287.

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."

This is one of the exemplary group where artistic fluency and control of the medium combine with clarity of colouring to create the most powerful of silhouette bottles; Sale 1, lot 49 was another example. The bottle was probably intended for distribution to meritorious officials, thereby earning the designation as an example of an ‘Official School’ snuff bottle in Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles.

The rebus here involves the five bats, wufu 五蝠, homophonous with ‘five blessings’; the qilin provides the sound lin 臨 (‘to approach’) for common phrase, wufu linmen 五福臨門 (‘May the five blessings come to your door’). The two dark patches above the qilin may be interpreted as the half-open double doors through which the five bats emitted from the mouth of the qilin are seen entering a lucky household.

Apart from the clarity and symbolism of the subject, the rather-browner-than-usual chalcedony here has delightful patterning on the back that resembles clouds seen from above. It is the result of taking a cross-section through certain types of chalcedony, which is then accentuated by painstaking hollowing (see discussion under Sale 7, lot 65).