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Lot Essay
From the early Qianlong period onwards, the Emperor's passion for jade prompted a massive Imperial output of art works in the material, including snuff bottles. The Qianlong Emperor was also deeply conscious of his Manchu ancestry and the need to claim credibility in the eyes of the native Han Chinese he ruled. As such he vehemently embraced the ancient arts of China by collecting vast quantities of ancient bronzes, jades, ceramics and other wares, and by incorporating archaistic designs into contemporary works. This archaistic penchant is typical of the Palace workshops, and with the present bottle the simulated rope design is derived from bronze vessels of the Zhou and early Han periods, many of which were in the Imperial Collection by the eighteenth century. This archaistic element combined with the choice of flawless material, the refined and understated taste, the perfectly controlled carving and the characteristically wide mouth and flat upper rim surrounding the lip, all support a confident attribution to the Beijing Palace workshops.
The distinctive formalized lotus-petal design, which terminates at the base in a lingzhi-derived pattern and incorporates bosses as part of the design, would appear to relate stylistically to a Qianlong-marked white and grey jade bottle from the J & J Collection, illustrated by Moss et. al., The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, vol. 1, no. 34.
The distinctive formalized lotus-petal design, which terminates at the base in a lingzhi-derived pattern and incorporates bosses as part of the design, would appear to relate stylistically to a Qianlong-marked white and grey jade bottle from the J & J Collection, illustrated by Moss et. al., The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, vol. 1, no. 34.