An Overlay Glass ‘Peach’ Snuff Bottle Qing Dynasty, 18th / 19th Century

Elisabeth and Ladislas Kardos.
Sotheby’s New York, 1st July 1985, lot 29.

Moss et al., 1996-2009, vol. 5, no. 973.

One barely perceptible chip from the outer edge of one of the sapphire blue leaves on the reverse side. A larger chip missing from the left to the left of this. Surface abrasions from use.
"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."

There is a series of fruit-form bottles that represent peaches primarily and feature a variety of ground colours overlaid with a contrasting layer carved as a severed leafy peach branch. The ground plane is often manipulated while still hot, as it is here at the bottom of the fruit. This detail relates the technique to the group discussed under Sale 7, lot 95. Pink soufflé was a standard colour and surface for that group. It was achieved by applying powdered glass of a different colour to the surface. Here, however, the powdered glass is less evenly distributed than on those from the group represented by Sale 7, lot 95, and in fact the two schools are not one, since the peach leaves in the group represented here are usually a carved overlay, whereas carved details did not appear on that group.

These fruit-form bottles are from the mid-Qing period, the most likely date being the first half of the nineteenth century, but one or two may be from the late eighteenth century. The carving, while quite impressive, continued to exhibit the typical slight stiffness of nineteenth-century style, and the ground plane, where the branches meet it, clearly reveals the initial cutting marks beneath a rudimentary polish. This is, however, an unusually good example of the group, displaying a very pleasing colour combination.

It is possible to classify this bottle as a single overlay, but because of the ambiguity of the use of the very thin layer of powdered glass, it could be claimed as a double overlay.