A FAMILLE-ROSE PORCELAIN 'CLOCK' SNUFF BOTTLE MARK AND PERIOD OF GUANGXU

Sotheby’s New York, 26th November 1991, lot 69.

Robert Kleiner, Boda Yang, and Clarence F. Shangraw, Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Miniature Art from the Collection of George and Mary Bloch, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 155.
National Museum of Singapore, Singapore, 1994-5.

E & O Magazine, vol. 2, no. 4, 1994, p. 62.
Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 6, Hong Kong, 2007, no. 1430.

There is one tiny piece of pink enamel chipped from the narrow side, one of the tiny pink dots. The black paint is a little worn in places, in particular on one clock face in the middle of the hands and on the big hand. Otherwise, the snuff bottle is in overall 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 watch face on this bottle employs a mixed numbering system, combining the additive system seen on lot 113 in this auction (note how ‘IIII’ takes the place of ‘IV’) with the subtractive system (where ‘IX’ is employed rather than ‘VIIII’ as seen on lot 113). It is doubtful whether the enamellers had a watch to copy, of course, although the designer may have done. In a commercial process where the designer copies the watch itself and hands the drawing to an enameller to recopy, there is always room for a little variation. Presumably, since both sides are set at precisely the same time, the designer did only one design and left the enameller to repeat it on the other main side of the bottle (perhaps the side where the X is much more tentative).