A JASPER 'MONKEY' SNUFF BOTTLE OFFICIAL SCHOOL, QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

Trojan Collection.
Robert Hall, London, 1993. 

Robert Kleiner, Boda Yang, and Clarence F. Shangraw, Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Miniature Art from the Collection of George and Mary Bloch, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 239.
National Museum of Singapore, Singapore, 1994-5.

Robert Hall, Chinese Snuff Bottles V: From the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Trojan, London, 1992, cat. no. 50.
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. 308.

The snuff bottle is in overall good condition except a partially polished chip to the outer lip and two tiny polished chips on the footrim. There is a minute flaw at the base of the neck on one small side. There are also three chips to the monkey, one to the toe, one to the tips of his fingers on one hand and another to the rock just below his feet.
"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."

The common colours in jasper are green, yellow, and red, or mixtures of these colours, allowing for a wide range of orange or brown tones. This sumptuous piece of material is of an unusually even reddish-orange colour, providing a large expanse of unified ground for the yellowish monkey perched on the rock. In this case, the constraints of the material did not dictate the size of the bottle, as they might have done in some ink-play agates, since the relief plane would have provided a monkey of smaller dimensions equally well, so one can be fairly certain that the larger size was a deliberate choice, either for greater capacity or as a broader ‘canvas’ for the work of art. Few large snuff bottles can be confidently dated to the earlier part of the Qing dynasty and one may assume that they gained popularity only during the Qianlong period, and possibly the second half of it.

This is an exceptional example of the subject, with as distinct a personality in the creature as any and with very confident, crisp carving. The foot of the bottle is very slightly convex, but it is perfectly finished and surrounded by a very neat foot rim, so it is probably a conscious alternative to the flat foot, not a sign of slipping standards.