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Lot Essay
This is one of the series of sandwiched pink glass bottles discussed under lot 9, and was probably made for the Court during the Qianlong period.
As the lotus emerges pristinely white atop a straight stem from the murky waters, it became a symbol of purity and integrity and came to be associated with the upright gentleman. The lotus was also adopted as a Buddhist symbol, and its formalized overlapping petals can be seen adorning the bases of Buddhist sculptures from the sixth century onward.
A nearly identical bottle is illustrated by H. Moss, V. Graham, and K. B. Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle: The J & J Collection, New York, 1993, vol. II, p. 597, no. 358. See, also, the related sandwiched pink cabbage bottle in the collection of Denis Low illustrated in R. Kleiner, Treasures from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect, Singapore, 1999, no. 92, and no. 93 for a more translucent version of this lotus petal design.
As the lotus emerges pristinely white atop a straight stem from the murky waters, it became a symbol of purity and integrity and came to be associated with the upright gentleman. The lotus was also adopted as a Buddhist symbol, and its formalized overlapping petals can be seen adorning the bases of Buddhist sculptures from the sixth century onward.
A nearly identical bottle is illustrated by H. Moss, V. Graham, and K. B. Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle: The J & J Collection, New York, 1993, vol. II, p. 597, no. 358. See, also, the related sandwiched pink cabbage bottle in the collection of Denis Low illustrated in R. Kleiner, Treasures from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect, Singapore, 1999, no. 92, and no. 93 for a more translucent version of this lotus petal design.