A JASPER SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

Hugh M. Moss Ltd., 1995.

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. 259.

The overall condition is excellent. There is a natural flawline running down and inwards from the shoulder.
"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 great plain jasper bottles, set apart by its combination of material, technique, hollowing, and formal integrity. It is a superb example of a plain bottle that is formally and technically perfect. The unusual intensity of the colouring arises as much from the exciting variation in both the deep, rich, blood-red and the green ground as from the colours themselves, which are fairly standard for this type of jasper. Red and green are visually dynamic together under any circumstances, the red tending to appear as foreground while the green recedes into the background, giving even a flat image a sense of three-dimensionality. Here the markings are spectacularly dynamic.

There may be others to match it, and Sale 5, lot 163 is a contender, but none is better. The degree of compression of the sphere allows a sense of generosity without implying excess, and the gradual curve of the shoulders into the cylindrical neck, from either main or narrow-side views, is impeccably achieved. There is a faultlessly controlled foot rim, gently rounded to match the subtle play of curves of the body, surrounding a very slightly convex foot that comes within a hair’s-breadth of being flat. The final touch is the extensive hollowing through a generously proportioned mouth, leaving the walls unusually thin for an opaque material such as jasper, where the degree of hollowing was less critical, being invisible from the outside.