清乾隆 / 嘉慶 瓷胎浮雕礬紅彩「夔龍捧壽」鋪首耳鼻煙壺

Quek Kiok Lee 收藏，新加坡
倫敦蘇富比1988年6月6日，編號4

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1175

Slight wear to the red enamels on the lip and foot and in places on the mouldings on both sides. Some tiny nibbles, one on the nose of one lion mask and in two places on the inner edge of the mouldings.
"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 many ceramic innovations in snuff bottles towards the end of the Qianlong period was imitation in porcelain of imperial glass overlay bottles. This design of confronting kui dragons and a shou character was a common subject on glass snuff bottles from the Qianlong era. Even without the clue provided by the subject matter, however, the neat enamelling just of all the relief detail leaves us in no doubt as to its original inspiration. The additional enamelling of the lip, upper neck rim, and foot rim imitates the glass-overlay lip and foot so often found on late-Qianlong glass overlays. (The overlaid foot rim, of course, was much earlier, but the overlay lip seems to have become popular at court during the second half of the eighteenth century.) The imperial nature of this bottle is also suggested by the tiny mask handles set high on the shoulders, with their canine heads, floppy ears, and small, circular rings.

Although the present example has been previously dated to the nineteenth century, dated examples are predominantly from the late Qianlong reign, and the occasional appearance of a Jiaqing-marked example supports the proposition that they were briefly fashionable during the last decade of the eighteenth century.

This, however, is an unusual version and may be one of the earlier ones. The interior joints confirm that it was made from a two-part mould. Careful measurement and comparison of the various elements suggest that both sides were taken from the same mould, which is after all the most convenient method of producing a moulded bottle that is to have identical designs on each main side.