A PALE SAPPHIRE-BLUE GLASS 'MALLOW FLOWER' SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

Jin Hing, Los Angeles.
Robert Hall, London, 1997. 

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. 844.

The overall condition is excellent except for some typical surface wear 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."

While the appearance of this bottle suggests that it might have been carved from a solid block, both weight and inner-neck detailing suggest it is blown. It has the undulating line typically found where the lapidary carving of the inner neck meets the blown air bubble of the hollowing, but is otherwise an extremely rare bottle.

The depiction of the formalised mallow flower is unusual but effective, exhibiting a degree of thoughtful abstraction. The neck terminates at the shoulders in a raised, scalloped flange that could be taken for the edge of a petal folding over from the other side, blending the plain neck into the busy formalised design with some elegance. A similar device is employed at the foot and up the narrow sides, where a series of superimposed shapes can be read as the edges of petals overlapping from the opposite side, one acting as the foot while two others stand for the ubiquitous mask-and-ring handles.

As rare as this conception of the mallow is the concave lip, which gives every impression of being the original shape (another concave lip was seen on Sale 7, lot 14).

For another example of this rare design in caramel-brown glass, see Hall 1989, no. 90, while a colourless glass example is published in Kleiner 1997, no. 52, although both are larger than this one.