A Turquoise Matrix Snuff Bottle Qing Dynasty, 18th / 19th Century

Bob C. Stevens.
Sotheby’s Honolulu, 7th November 1981, lot 154.
Belfort Collection,1986.

 

Stevens 1976, no. 601.
JICSBS, September 1977, p. 11, no. 4.
Chinese Snuff Bottles and Dishes, no. 245.
Très précièuses tabatieres chinoises, p. 16, no. 221.
Arts of Asia, September–October 1982, p. 150.
The Snuff Bottle Review, 1 March 1983, p. 13.
Moss et al., 1996-2009, vol. 3, no. 420.

There is an approximately 0.1cm chip to the outer lip of the mouth, otherwise, it is in 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."

The universal gem standard for turquoise is that the more brilliant the sky-blue colour the more valuable the stone, but in China it is clear from that both green and blue veined material was equally valued. The evidence lies in snuff bottles in other materials that evoke turquoise. Of the entire turquoise range of Qing glass snuff bottles, many more are of a green tint than a sky-blue one. Porcelain imitations of the material are even more informative. Both the green and blue varieties are regularly copied during the mid-Qing period. One of the finest imitation turquoise bottles is in the Ault Collection (Kleiner 1990, no. 131). It probably dates from the late eighteenth century and is of a distinctly green colour. In the same publication, a magnificent and unique porcelain bottle made for the Master of the Xie Bamboos, whose hall name appears on other known porcelains of the first half of the nineteenth century, simulates a turquoise-matrix bottle with panels of calligraphy in iron-red on white. Not only is the colour unambiguously green, it is as riddled with black matrix markings as any of the real material carved into bottles. There are others in enamelled Yixing pottery from the first half of the nineteenth century that simulate greenish turquoise (see Stevens 1976, no. 337).

Whatever the colour of the material may have meant, this example is intriguingly marked with some well-figured matrix, some unusual speckling across both faces of the bottle, and some intriguing darker staining, possibly partly due to handling but too well defined to stem purely from patination. This is one of the star turquoise bottles known, of lovely colour and material. It is also superbly formed, with matching perfection of finish.