清道光 粉彩庭院仕女圖六方鼻煙壺 《道光年製》款

Trojan 收藏
Robert Hall，倫敦，1993年

Robert Hall，《Chinese Snuff Bottles V: From the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Trojan》，倫敦，1992年，編號64
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1313

Stopper illustrated in book replace by glass stopper. Gilding worn from lip and foot. Small crack and chip to the left of the stick near to the base. Slight wear to some of 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."

Several features help to date this bottle to the beginning of the Daoguang reign. Without the reign mark, the enamels and the style of painting would suggest an attribution to the Jiaqing period; the lip is covered with a wash of brown glaze beneath the gold, a standard practice from the late Qianlong into the Jiaqing reign that seems to have been largely discontinued by the Daoguang period; and the mark is slightly hesitant, with an additional curl to the lower right-hand stroke of the character guang光 that is absent from the vast majority of Daoguang reign marks, suggesting it was an early formalisation, soon to be replaced by the simpler, neater version of Sale 1, lot 87; Sale 2, lot 140; and Sale 6, lot 235.

There is little suggestion of high art here. It is a decorative idea decoratively achieved, and its charm lies in the subject matter and, for snuff-bottle collectors, in the unusual form resembling a six-fold screen turned around on itself. Perhaps the palace faceted forms of the eighteenth century offered instructive precedents for making each facet of the bottle a satisfying composition in its own right while being an organic part of the whole. The long sleeves of the dancer seem to conceal arms long enough to throw the discus farther than any steroid-pumped Eastern European Olympic contender, but the scene remains an evocative and delightful reminder of a distant era and imperial privilege.