清乾隆 / 嘉慶 御製白玉柳編紋鼻煙壺 （傳）御作坊製 《養正書屋》款

very well hollowed, with a concave mouth and flat foot, carved with a continuous basketweave pattern framed at top and bottom by a broad rope border contained between a narrow, plain border on either side of it, the foot incised in regular script Yangzheng shuwu ('Study for the Cultivation of a Righteous Mind'); the glass stopper with a vinyl collar

Trojan 收藏
Robert Hall，1993年

《Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch》，大英博物館，倫敦，1995年，編號64
以色列博物館，耶路撒冷，1997年

Hugh Moss、Victor Graham 及曾嘉寶，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，卷1，香港，1996年，編號149

The snuff bottle is in very good condition. The actual colour of the jade is of a slightly warmer tone compared to the catalogue illustration.
"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 most striking things about the present bottle is that the studio mark on the base is incised with a series of apparently wheel-cut lines to build up the thickness of the strokes in a style very similar to that found on glass snuff bottles from the Beijing Palace workshops during the Qing dynasty. With this as a clue to provenance, very slight pale flaws in the neck also hint at a possible Palace workshops origin, since this is a feature of a group of white jade bottles attributable to the court during the mid-Qing period.

Three people during the Qing dynasty apparently used the studio name Yangzheng shuwu. The one most likely connected with this bottle is Minning, who became the Daoguang emperor on 3 February 1821 at the age of 38; the Yangzheng shuwu was his study in the Yuanming yuan during both his youth and his adult years.

The second person said to have had the studio name Yangzheng shuwu has his name given as both Qin Chengye (with the dates 1745 or 1747-1828) and Qin Chengshi (identified only as a Qianlong-era metropolitan graduate); the sources that ascribe a poetry collection titled Yangzheng shuwu shi to this person generally call him by the latter name, Qin Chengshi.  Qin Chengye was the tutor of Minning. A Zhang Fuyuan from Hunan is also said to have had a Yangzheng shuwu, but virtually nothing is known of him.

The basketweave design, almost certainly a staple at court, is superbly carved on this bottle, with delightful variation in the nature of the weave to give it a marked sense of having been hand-woven, as the original would have been. The rope border at the top and the bottom is considerably wider than any other known, and this provides another link with the palace workshops, since rope designs were a standard for court carvers of the Qianlong period.