1730-1860

Details

**A VERY RARE AND UNUSUAL BLUE GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE
1730-1860
Of compressed spherical form, the interior of the bottle molded on each main side with a stylized shou character, the exterior sides carved with chilong, pearl stopper with coral collar
2 3/8 in. (6 cm.) high

Provenance

Galia Baylin
Sotheby's New York, 3 October 1980, lot 52
Hugh M. Moss Ltd.

Literature

Moss et. al., The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, vol. 2, no.
329
The Miniature World, An Exhibition of Snuff Bottles from the J & J Collection, p. 65

Exhibited

Christie's New York, 1993
Empress Place Museum, Singapore, 1994
Museum fur Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt, 1996-1997
Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1997
Naples Museum of Art, Florida, 2002
Portland Museum of Art, Oregon, 2002
National Museum of History, Taipei, 2002
International Asian Art Fair, Seventh Regiment Armory, New York, 2003
Poly Art Museum, Beijing, 2003

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Lot Essay

This rare type of glass design where the design appears on the inside of the bottle, was produced by a relatively simple, glass-maker's trick, although it was rarely used in China and then only on a small number of snuff bottles. The glass is first blown into a mold which leaves the design on the interior in relief, and then while still in a semi-molten state, it is blown again into a mold of identical shape, but without any design. The plain mold in unable to accommodate the relief design, so it is forced inwards, appearing as a less well-defined version of the same design on the interior. At present, there are only three or four recorded examples of this technique, among which this is the most spectacular.

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