清十九世紀 青花「奏樂」圖鼻煙壺

Robert Kleiner ，倫敦，1998年

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1393

A tiny area to the right hand side of the trelis where the glaze has not taken correctly and thus the biscuit is showing through. A dimple in the glaze on the right hand side of the tree, up in the clouds.
"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."

Even though one is handicapped by knowing neither how many kilns produced blue-and-white bottles during the latter Qing period nor what differences in form, style, or colouring different kilns might have produced, there remains an irresistibly late-nineteenth-century quality to both the blue and the style of painting here. Dark contrasts are used, with sharp, rather unsubtle lines, and the appearance is visually harsher than earlier underglaze wares. Another with similar qualities is Sale 5, lot 127.

It is likely that the woman playing the stringed instrument, the one playing the end-blown flute, and the gentleman wearing the boldly patterned robe and the peculiar hat whilst playing the floor zither are all professional musicians. However, the zither’s tapered right end indicates that it might be a qin, more likely to be a scholarly amateur’s instrument of choice. Thus, this may be a lively private garden concert mixing professional musicians (who were often kept in wealthy households and considered as available for non-musical services) and an enthusiastic patron.

This is a miniature version of such bulbous ‘cylindrical’ bottles as Sale 2, lot 106 and Sale 6, lot 244, but only in the sense that it is much smaller than they are; it still does not constitute a miniature snuff bottle.