清十八 / 十九世紀 褐玉鼻煙壺

Hugh M. Moss Ltd，香港，1993年

Hugh Moss、Victor Graham 及曾嘉寶，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，卷1，香港，1996年，編號 166

The overall condition is excellent.
"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."

Despite material that is unusually rustic for the group, this fits into a large range of jade snuff bottles that are linked primarily by the fact that they are jade, extremely well hollowed, undecorated (other than for the occasional identifying inscription on the base), and generally of compressed spherical or ovoid forms (although a few others could also be linked to the group despite eccentric forms). They occur both in nephrite and jadeite and others in this collection are Sale 1, lot 17 and lot 59; Sale 2, lot 127; Sale 3, lot 23 and lot 32; Sale 8, lot 1034 and lot 1115; Sale 9, lot 131; and lot 38 in the present sale.

They are not a school as such, since they were certainly made at a number of different workshops and could easily be linked to a similar range of bottles in crystal and chalcedony, for instance. They were undoubtedly produced over an extended period of time, although most were probably made in the mid-Qing period between the 1750s and the 1850s. Because of their plainness and lightness they are extremely pleasing bottles to hold in the hand, a quality that, in this case, is greatly enhanced by the pebble material, which has a finely but randomly textured surface, giving it the appearance of well-worn leather.

On this bottle a great deal of the colouring has been added artificially. This is apparent under close examination, because much of the colour is concentrated not on the upper portions of the surface texturing but in the network of tiny valleys between. It is also clearly visible at the lip, where it is obvious that the colour is concentrated in a tiny layer confined to the exterior surface.