A RUBY-RED OVERLAY 'CARP' SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG / JIAQING PERIOD

Collection of Marian Mayer.
Doyles, 29th October 1981, lot 251.
Collection of Gerd Lester, 1986. 

Marian Swayze Mayer and Hugh Moss, Glass Snuff Bottles from China from the Mayer Collection, Steuben Glass, New York, 1980, cat. no. 36.
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. 108.
National Museum of Singapore, Singapore, 1994-5.

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. 900.

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."

Although cameo-overlays are usually carved in distinct planes, each defined by a contrasting colour, in this rare variant the overlay is used in a more abstract manner. This style is ideal for naturalistic subjects such as flora and fauna, where the form becomes the subject.

One of the best of the group, this probably dates from the Qianlong period, but one would hesitate to narrow it down further within the reign. The overlay is of the dark colour of Sale 8, lot 1002, and Sale 9, lot 178, which is believed to date from the first half of the reign, and while the crisp, confident carving would not conflict with this, it could have been made later.

The use of the overlay is extremely skilful, permitting the fish’s tail and the lotus stems and aquatic grasses to remain distinct. Random though the blend of colours may appear, the positioning in the colourless plane of the fish’s mouth and underbelly and of the inner areas of the lotus leaves is surely too effective and too deliberate to be relegated to the realm of chance.