清十八 / 十九世紀 水晶梨式光素鼻煙壺

Hugh M. Moss Ltd，1985年

《清代鼻煙壺》，香港藝術館，香港，1978年，頁131頂行右二

Hugh Moss、Victor Graham 及曾嘉寶，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，卷2，香港，1998年，編號231

One small chip on the rim of one narrow 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 nothing about the style and superb hollowing of this bottle that would be at odds with a palace provenance, andthe most likely period of production is the mid-Qing. Equally there is nothing that would not allow a provenance in the crystal workshops that supplied artists who painted inside snuff bottles at Beijing around the turn of the last century, hence this extended terminal date. This form is found painted inside in the 1890s and early 1900s by Ma Shaoxuan 馬少宣 and Ye Zhongsan 葉仲三, among others, and there is no way of knowing whether all of them were painted inside existing earlier bottles or whether such forms were still being made to high standards right at the end of the Qing dynasty. Here, however, the interest lies more in the further potential for varying basic forms than in the precise date of the bottle.

A pear-shape has been radically compressed, although still not completely flattened, since the two main sides retain a continuously curved surface. The narrow sides were flattened with a curving faceted surface terminating in a sharp angle where the narrower and broader surfaces meet. With the addition of a cylindrical neck, this allows for the subtle interplay of a number of different forms, all joining harmoniously. The artist has resolved the problem of joining these different shapes by minor adjustments where necessary.

The slim faceted surface is curved around the narrow sides and the foot like a strap, but where it meets the cylindrical neck the profile of the faceting flares to accommodate the greater width of the neck and two tiny, slightly curved triangular facets at the shoulders allow all three surfaces to come together comfortably. The side view also reveals that the body tapers towards the foot. If it did not, but kept to the same thickness from neck to foot, the form would be considerably clumsier and less elegant than it is from the narrow side profile.

The gently rounded, bubble-like shape of the interior, left very slightly roughened so as to accentuate it formally against the highly polished exterior surfaces, provides yet another shape variation for the artist to bring into balance. To what extent the rounded interior surface was governed by function rather than form can never be known, but it works extremely well formally. The practical rounded interior, which makes snuff easier to remove, offsets the more angled exterior profile, softening it and providing a contrast that strengthens both. Antithesis is a common creative tool in all the high arts.