清十八 / 十九世紀 透明紫晶料鼻煙壺

Robert Hall，倫敦，1985年

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691

Suffuse with air bubbles, some burst out on the surface. Numerous tiny scratches and abrasions from use. 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."

It is well established, on the basis of records relating to the early Yongzheng era, that purple glass and enamels were being produced at that time and presumably earlier.

An intriguing feature of this bottle is the unusual depth of the glass at the base With nephrite snuff bottles, this was apparently a feature of the palace workshops during the eighteenth century, and this example may be an attempt to reproduce the same characteristic in glass. This feature is insufficiently common in glass bottles, however, for us to ascribe it great significance in making an attribution. Quite possibly it evolved naturally out of the blowing process, and represents no more than the potential for offsetting a natural bubble of air against a formally symmetrical exterior shape. The depth of the base between interior bubble and exterior foot rim here is 6 mm - more than ten per cent of the overall height of the bottle.