清乾隆 白玉仿古紋英雄雙聯瓶式鼻煙壺

E.E. Brake 收藏，倫敦
Robert Hall，倫敦，1992年

Robert Kleiner、楊伯達及 Clarence F. Shangraw，《盈寸纖研 ─ 瑪麗及佐治伯樂鼻煙壺珍藏》，香港藝術館，香港，1994年，編號25
新加坡國家博物館，新加坡，1994-1995年
《Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch》，以色列博物館，耶路撒冷，1997年
《清代宮廷包裝藝術》，故宮博物院，北京，2000 年，編號108

Geoffrey Wills，《Jade of the East》，紐約，1972年，頁119，編號97
《國際中國鼻煙壺協會學術期刊》，1992年冬，頁1
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101

Minute nibbles to both inner and outer lips. One tiny scratch just below the outer lip on one side. Otherwise 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."

There is a small group of miniature, flattened so-called ‘hero’s vases’ attributable to the Beijing palace workshops of the Qianlong period. They were not intended as snuff bottles and when complete have an integral cover of matching nephrite with a flanged lid, the flange sitting inside the mouth. The form is derived from vessels dating back to the Western Han period. Because they often have flying creatures treading on monstrous beasts, they are commonly called yingxiong ping 英雄瓶 (‘hero vases’), which puns on yingxiong ping 膺熊瓶 (‘eagle-and-bear’ bases).

In their original form this group of miniature vessels could not have functioned practically as snuff bottles, since the covers of both sides are joined. If the covers were fitted with spoons, the removal of snuff would have been extremely difficult because it would have to be taken from both sides at once, and the spoons could not be twisted to scoop it up.

The narrow rectangular shape of the interior of this bottle would not be practical for snuff even with separate stoppers, raising the question of whether this bottle was converted for use or simply a collector’s piece. The dating of the stoppers and the size of the beautifully matched tortoiseshell spoons suggests the latter, with a probable twentieth-century date. Conversions were a common enough form of snuff bottle and perfectly acceptable to collectors as long as the conversion truly adapted the vessel for use as a snuff bottle. An early animal carving converted in the Qing period for use as a snuff bottle becomes a snuff bottle, and a fascinating one at that. Even an eighteenth-century pendant or pebble-carving of the late-Qing period still satisfies the criterion. This example may never have been intended for use as a snuff container but it still qualifies as one in theory, since that is what it is now.

Because of its extraordinary qualities as a work of art one is tempted to overlook the ambiguity of this bottle’s origins. It is made from flawless nephrite of a lovely colour. It has two of the more lively and impressive chi dragons from the imperial output of the Qing dynasty and the impressively detailed archaistic carving with superb even polish is typical of the finest of small jade carvings made for and often at the court during the Qianlong period.