A RUBY-RED OVERLAY WHITE GLASS 'GOURDS AND VINE' DOUBLE-GOURD SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, YONGZHENG / QIANLONG PERIOD

Collection of Mrs Elmer A. Claar.
Sotheby’s New York, 2nd December 1969, lot 1.
Reif Collection.
Christie’s New York, 18th October 1993, lot 176.

Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, British Museum, London, 1995, cat. no. 154.
Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1997.

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. 901.

One posible repair/smoothing to a chip in the red glass overlay on the base? 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."

This magnificent bottle represents a group characterised by similar design and subject matter, in which a key feature is the high-flying relief of certain elements of the design, the foot being formed by some of them. Many of the recorded versions in this group appear on double-gourd-shaped bottles with a foot composed of protruding, relief design elements. They range in quality from this one—by far one of the the finest—to some quite crudely carved, indicating the same idea being repeated so often it has become mere decoration.

This bottle seems likely to be an early masterpiece, the glass equivalent of palace- enamelled porcelain gourds, in which case can be dated to the first half of the Qianlong period or the mid-reign, at the latest, which would allow for the related peach bottle, Sale 5, lot 106, to date from the same period.

Apart from the consummate skill exhibited in this bottle’s sculptural qualities, the design is magnificent. A superlative example of painting transferred to glass, every element, every leaf and gourd, every line is vital, carefully thought out, and individually observed. The windswept vine is a masterpiece of depiction and, equally, an artistic masterpiece. A wonderful moment of calm in this dynamic subject is provided by the lovely touch of taking three lower, larger gourds straight down to form the feet—a feature evidently carefully considered in terms of realism as well as artistic conception. These larger, heavier gourds would not be disturbed by the wind to the same extent but, regardless of that, the solid, supporting counterpoint they provide to the composition is nothing short of brilliant.