A RUBY-RED GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

C.K. Liang, Hong Kong, 1979.
Collection of Gerd Lester, 1986. 

Mary and George Bloch, 'Favourite Snuff Bottles. The Mary and George Bloch Collection', Arts of Asia, September-October 1990, p. 97, fig. 32.
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. 805.

One edge of one oval panel polished slightly probably to remove a small chip, and the mouth slightly off centre suggesting the possibility that one side of the neck has also been slightly polished. There are also some surface abrasions from wear.
"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."

In view of evidence provided by Sale 9, lot 94, with its solid credentials as a Yongzheng palace product, one is able to date this bottle with some confidence and add a little more information to the ever-expanding store relating to the connoisseurship of the art-form. The slight crizzling, not readily apparent to the naked eye, indicates a likely early eighteenth century date, as does the wide mouth.

In addition, the material is sufficiently similar to Sale 9, lot 94 to indicate a probable Yongzheng date, although it might have been made a little before or after that short reign. The glass, of similar colour and suffused with air bubbles of various sizes—including one or two large ones—has other small flaws in the form of tiny impurities in the glass known collectively as ‘stones’. The new information gleaned from this particular example is that these early faceted shapes were not always of small size in the first half of the eighteenth century. Although this is by no means the magnum that is believed to have developed as a popular standard during the Qianlong period, it is the largest of the bottles of this particular shape in the collection.

This said, it is no larger than some Kangxi-marked palace enamels on metal, indicating that a range of snuff bottles of this size was produced at the beginning of palace production. While one should not be surprised to find a glass bottle of this size, it is useful to know that a particular glass shape was made in sizes ranging from normal to almost miniature during the first half of the eighteenth century.

The surface of the glass has almost certainly been repolished at some time in the past, possibly removing any slight exterior crizzling—if any existed—but the foot remains remarkably similar to Sale 9, lot 94 in its surface patination.