清十八世紀末 / 十九世紀初 粉彩「臥姿仕女」鼻煙壺

moulded and painted to depict a reclining woman holding a handkerchief in her left hand and resting her chin in the palm of her right hand, her bound feet peeking out from her trousers, one foot forming the stopper

西岸私人收藏
紐約蘇富比1990年4月6日，編號22

Hugh Moss、Victor Graham 及曾嘉寶，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，卷6，香港，2007年，編號1224

The foot stopper is a later replacement, but apart from this the snuff bottle is in very good condition. There are three spur marks, light kiln grits and mild pitting on the back of the figure where it rested during the firing. There is some light expected rubbing in areas to the enamels.
"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."

One of the popular figural moulds of the mid-Qing period was of a reclining woman. This is perhaps the most popular form, but others are known. In practically every case, the foot of the extended leg forms the stopper, granting somewhat constrained access to the interior by way of the hollow leg. None of the reclining-woman bottles is dated to any particular reign. The enamels generally would accord with the Jiaqing period, or a little later in some particular cases. The general impression gained from the group of figure-form moulded porcelains is that they began at the same time as other moulded types in the last years of the Qianlong reign, flourished in the Jiaqing, and tailed off during the Daoguang period to settle into the regular, occasional production of later-Qing types. There seems to have been a shift in focus during the early Daoguang period from moulded porcelain bottles to individually carved ones, which may have been one reason for their decline.

This model, despite its apparent innocence to the Western eye, would probably have been considered by the Chinese erotic. The bound feet of women in pre-modern China were considered erotic, because they were specific to women, embodied feminine charm and beauty, and were practically never seen.