A PEACOCK-BLUE GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

Wing Hing, Hong Kong, 1985. 

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. 742.

There is a tiny chip to the inner lip, in addition to a polished minute chip on the outer foot rim. The glass is suffused with air bubbles, but otherwise the overall condition is 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 snuff bottle has been blown into a faceted mould of a type that, if it were faceted primarily by the lapidary, might well date from the first half of the eighteenth century. It may represent an attempt by a private workshop to reproduce palace faceting, or indeed an attempt by the imperial glassworks to find an alternative to the more time-consuming lapidary-faceting.

The evidence of Sale 2, lot 23, suggests that many faceted forms may have been initially blown into faceted moulds, in which case this may represent only a part of the process usually resulting in crisply faceted surfaces such as those of Sale 8, lot 1160. This softer-edged option is relatively rare, and there seems to have been a marked preference at court for the sharper and more emphatic faceting of the lapidary.

It would be possible to carve such a bottle and simply leave all the edges rounded, but to do so would be out of keeping with the imperial standard. It seems strange, therefore, that anyone would go out of his way to make something appear mould-blown rather than carved. The detailing of the mouth, probably also of the foot, and the polishing have all been carried out by the lapidary, but it seems reasonable to assume that the basic shape closely reflects its mould. This is corroborated by the very light weight of the bottle. Lapidary-faceted glass tends to be heavy because a thick-walled vessel is blown, allowing for the removal of areas of glass to achieve the facets.