A YELLOW OVERLAY GLASS 'BATS' SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG / JIAQING PERIOD

Jin Hing, Los Angeles, 1982.
Belfort Collection, 1986. 

Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Sydney L. Moss Ltd, London, 1987, cat. no. 99.
Kleine Schätze aus China. Snuff bottles—Sammlung von Mary und George Bloch erstmals in Österreich, Creditanstalt, Vienna, 1993.

Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 5, Hong Kong, 2002, no. 956.

There is a bubble in the glass polished through the centre of the footrim. There is an elongated bubble in overlay of the upper bat's left wing on one main side polished through, leaving a tiny tunnel which has also then been subsequently chipped. Otherwise the snuff bottle is in very good overall 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."

This is one of the most spectacular known examples of an exceedingly rare type of bottle. It displays interior moulding, which, while seemingly miraculous in nature, is achieved by means of a fairly simple glassmaking trick. It creates a most interesting effect, not to mention the illusion of magic—always intriguing in art, as elsewhere—and considering how easily it can be done, it is surprising not to find it used more often.

First, the glass was blown into a mould with the design carved into it as a negative image. The result, in this particular case, is the impression of a pouch with fabric gathered at neck. While still malleable, it was then encased in a plain mould of the same shape. More air was blown into the bottle, forcing it outwards against the plain surface of the new mould and pressing the exterior pattern into the walls of the glass, so the same design emerged on the inside. The method tends to reduce the sharpness and clarity of the design, often only a ghostly impression of the design being left inside. For another example of interior moulding, see Sale 6, lot 209.

The present offering is another of the bottles of a general colour range that is associated with the court, and the yellow overlay indicates an imperial bottle. The carving shows excellent control, with a very even ground plane (disguised to some extent by the rippling effect created by the internal moulding showing through), the only hint of carelessness being seen in the matching of the overlay colour to the foot rim, which is a little uneven.

This suggests the likelihood of a late-Qianlong period of production, but since it is probable that this standard of work could still have been produced during the early decades of the nineteenth century at court, a little leeway has been left just to be on the safe side.