A MULTI-COLOURED GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE LATE QING DYNASTY / REPUBLICAN PERIOD

Collection of Gerry P. Mack. 
Collection of Beverly Mack Hall and Gary Mack.
Sotheby's New York, 25th October 1997, lot 29. 

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. 716.

There are a few barely perceptible nibbles to the inner lip, but the overall condition is otherwise very good.
"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 an example of an unusual group of bottles likely to have been later Qing or perhaps even early Republican products. They are characterised by the use of chopped-up segments of preformed floral-patterned glass canes rather carelessly rolled into the surface of a smoky, transparent glass. Sale 8, lot 1180, was an example of the same range of floral rods being sandwiched between layers of transparent milky-grey glass.

Another feature of the bottles in this group is their weight, epitomised by this example, which is very heavy indeed for a blown glass bottle.

The group is atypical for early- or mid-Qing manufacture, whether of the rolled-on or sandwiched types of glass, and the level of wear across the group suggests that they are not of great age.

Canes of glass, often with complex designs running through them, were made in Venice during the eighteenth century and apparently exported to China to be reworked. These, however, do not appear to have had their origins in Europe. Their colour combination is distinctly different from standard Venetian versions. It seems likely that these are local canes, made perhaps a century ago as an experiment in producing a similar decorative effect.

hile one might argue with the level of visual comfort of the colour-mixes used, the result is intriguing enough, and the bottle well if simply formed.