清十八 / 十九世紀 綠料鼻煙壺

Alice B. McReynolds 收藏
香港佳士得1991年10月2日，編號1143（其一）

Hugh Moss、Victor Graham 及曾嘉寶，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，卷5，香港，2002年，編號695

One tiny flake from the outer lip. Otherwsie 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."

In contrast to lot 11 in this sale, this is the standard emerald-green colour that appears early in the eighteenth century, and probably before. It may be suffused with air bubbles, but this is the colour that appears as a monochrome, and as the standard green upper layer on cameo-overlays, either by itself or in combination with up to eight other colours. Apparently used by a number of different schools of carving, it must have been a standard and easily achieved colour. 

This offers another delightful example in which the glassblower, allowing the natural shape of the interior bubble to make its own contribution to the formal equation, has made little attempt to match it to the outer contour. It has an irregular, tear-drop shape on one side while curving in the opposite direction to the outer wall on the other.

Several air bubbles cut through at the surface offer proof that here, as on nearly all glass bottles, it was finished and polished by the lapidary. In blowing glass, these air bubbles will naturally be contained within the gather. Once the glass has solidified, however, the bubbles will be fixed. If the surface is ground and polished, those near the surface will be cut into, and remain as hemispherical depressions (if the bubbles are circular at that point). Close inspection of this example reveals them in a number of places.

The narrowness of the neck may be the result of past damage, but if so it rather effectively provides an upper emphasis for the misshapen interior air bubble. The entire bottle seems to be in the process of pouring itself from the stopper.