清十八 / 十九世紀 粉紅地套黑料雜寶圖鼻煙壺

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5，香港，2002年，編號963

There are scattered air bubbles, some elongated in the neck and burst at the surface. An elongated bubble running from the lip down the neck is open at the top and thus filled with brown debris. There are also minute nibbles from the top of one thin string of black overlay. It is otherwise in overall 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."

This bottle probably comes from the Daoguang period or a little before and was possibly made for the court. It exhibits typically mid-Qing technical blemishes. The colour combination combines with a most unusual subject to make this another compelling miniature from the period.

There is another bottle with a similar design, but in a double overlay with black and pink on white, which may be related to the present offering (see Helen White, Snuff Bottles from China: The Victoria and Albert Museum Collection, London, 1990, p. 168, no. 3). Further examples linked to the double overlay school, represented by Sale 5, lot 7, Sale 8, lots 1022 and 1031, and Sale 9, lot 194, suggest a possible association with the court. They may all be courtly wares, with this being a rather later version from the same workshop.

See also 1 November 1995, lot 835, another bottle surely produced in the same workshop at the same time. With the addition of courtly mask-and-ring handles, it is in the same colour combination and bears a related series of objects set on an ornamental stand.

The present stopper is a replacement for the one pictured in Treasury 5.