A Pale Blue Jadeite Snuff Bottle Qing Dynasty, 18th / 19th Century

Joseph V. Seo, Hong Kong, 1978.
Gerd Lester, 1986.

Moss et al., 1996-2009, vol. 1, no. 173.

Minute nibbles to the outer lip, not significant. 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."

Despite Zhao Zhiqian’s 趙之謙 mistaken claim in the 1860s that jadeite was too hard a substance to hollow out well (see Richard John Lynn’s translation of Zhao Zhiqian’s Yonglu xianjie 勇蘆閑詰, JICSBS, Autumn 1991, p. 18), not only are many jadeite bottles very well hollowed, some are virtuoso performances taking the hollowing process to an impressive extreme (see, for instance, Sale 1, lot 17). Such super-hollowed bottles appear to be among the earliest of the mid-Qing fad for jadeite snuff bottles that probably followed the normalization of relations with Burma in 1784 and the elevation of jadeite to the lofty status of a form of true jade, held only by nephrite until that time.

Although very well hollowed, this bottle does not rank as one of the paper-thin, super-hollowed group, nor does it have the wide mouth that so many of that group have. But the hollowing and workmanship are excellent, achieved through a reasonable-sized mouth that is neither small nor large in relation to the lip. The formal integrity is also excellent, and the shape is elegant.

The dating of plain jadeite bottles of this type is difficult. They are rarely decorated with any stylistically identifiable subject, and there is no clear evidence when certain colours from Burma were made available to the Chinese lapidary. The form and hollowing of this bottle denote individual care and attention to detail, and although it has previously been suggested that these more generous shapes, better hollowed and more elegantly formed, might be earlier than the standard, rather less well-hollowed oval examples, this may only apply to material of the highly valued emerald-green, jewellery variety, where the value of the stone eclipsed the importance of fine lapidary treatment.