AN INSCRIBED CHALCEDONY SNUFF BOTTLE SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG |

Y.F. Yang, Hong Kong, 28th April, 1972 (HK$7,500).

good condition
"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 one of a group of inscribed chalcedony snuff bottles made for the Imperial court in the late Qianlong period. Several are recorded, including one in the Crane collection, acquired in these rooms, 28th October 1992, lot 407. It is inscribed as having been made for the personal use of the Qianlong Emperor in 1783. There is another formerly in the Mary and George Bloch collection, illustrated by 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. 355, and sold in these rooms, 26th November 2013, lot 80. See also a third example illustrated in Bob C. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, New York, 1976, no. 530, later sold at Sotheby's Honolulu, 7th November 1981, lot 97.