A CRYSTAL SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, XIANFENG PERIOD, 1851, XINGYOUHENGTANG MARK

Zhirou Zhai Collection, Hong Kong.
Hugh M. Moss Ltd., 1993.

Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, British Museum, London, 1995, cat. no. 245.
Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1997. 

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. 364.

The overall condition is excellent.
"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 another of the Xingyouheng tang-marked snuff bottles where the character zhi (in this case meaning ‘made for’) is appended to the hall name (see also lot 77 in this auction).

This bottle is of perfect formal integrity, with superb hollowing and polishing, both inside and out, and impeccable detailing. Nothing about it is specifically mid-nineteenth century rather than earlier, unless the fact that both this and lot 77 have a slightly convex recessed foot, which has been suggested may have become an alternative at some time during the mid-Qing period. Here both are superbly controlled, and are a stylistic choice rather than a lazy option, as some obviously were, but they may indicate a shift in fashion from the recessed-flat style of the mid-eighteenth century.

The method of adding the mark here is similar to that on lot 77, although the style is different. A diamond-point is used to scratch the characters into the stone, each stroke being made up of a mass of incisions to build up the shape of a natural brushstroke. There does not appear to have been an outline first in this case, which distinguishes it from lot 77 and from the 1797-dated Sale 3, lot 67.

This type of calligraphy also occurs on a precisely dated plain white nephrite bottle, also from the Xianfeng period, from the Holleman Collection, and may represent yet another evolution in style during the mid-Qing period.