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Lot Essay
Gourds have been used since the earliest of times in many cultures as natural containers. Growing in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, the dried rind of the fruit becomes a very light, impervious container which, if the mouth is kept narrow, can be easily stoppered and made air-tight.
The basic form of this unusual bottle was almost certainly achieved by compressing the growing fruit between two boards to flatten its symmetrically bulbous shape. The surface was then decorated using a hot metal point, which has scorched the design into the hard outer surface of the dried gourd. This unusual technique appears to have become popular during the first half of the nineteenth century, although the technique can be traced back to the Kangxi Palace Workshops. Snuff bottles using this technique are rare, and this one is particularly well decorated. The slim ivory neck is an elegant touch and typical of Palace gourd wares, as is the original matching stopper with its inset yin/yang symbol. The creamy ivory tones of both complement the rich gourd material.
The design of a Pekinese dog and a dove was a popular one on Imperial wares of the Daoguang period, as attested to by the series of porcelain bottles made in the Imperial kilns at Jingde zhen during this period. Indeed the favorite consort of the Daoguang Emperor is known to have had a particular affection for Pekinese dogs, and a painting illustrated in Daily Life in the Forbidden City, p. 279, fig. 434, shows the Emperor and his consort in the Garden of Perfection and Brightness looking on as the young prince and princesses play with Pekinese dogs. Interestingly, a snuff bottle is set on the table on which the Emperor's arm rests in this painting.
The depiction of the Pekinese dogs, combined with the use of a three-clawed dragon, which is often found on Imperial early-Ming and mid-Qing period ceramics, suggests that this bottle may have been made for the Daoguang Emperor or his consort in the palace at Beijing.
The basic form of this unusual bottle was almost certainly achieved by compressing the growing fruit between two boards to flatten its symmetrically bulbous shape. The surface was then decorated using a hot metal point, which has scorched the design into the hard outer surface of the dried gourd. This unusual technique appears to have become popular during the first half of the nineteenth century, although the technique can be traced back to the Kangxi Palace Workshops. Snuff bottles using this technique are rare, and this one is particularly well decorated. The slim ivory neck is an elegant touch and typical of Palace gourd wares, as is the original matching stopper with its inset yin/yang symbol. The creamy ivory tones of both complement the rich gourd material.
The design of a Pekinese dog and a dove was a popular one on Imperial wares of the Daoguang period, as attested to by the series of porcelain bottles made in the Imperial kilns at Jingde zhen during this period. Indeed the favorite consort of the Daoguang Emperor is known to have had a particular affection for Pekinese dogs, and a painting illustrated in Daily Life in the Forbidden City, p. 279, fig. 434, shows the Emperor and his consort in the Garden of Perfection and Brightness looking on as the young prince and princesses play with Pekinese dogs. Interestingly, a snuff bottle is set on the table on which the Emperor's arm rests in this painting.
The depiction of the Pekinese dogs, combined with the use of a three-clawed dragon, which is often found on Imperial early-Ming and mid-Qing period ceramics, suggests that this bottle may have been made for the Daoguang Emperor or his consort in the palace at Beijing.