Lot Essay
Emblematic of courage, katydids and crickets were popular at every level of society in China, valued for their merry chirping and some species for their fighting prowess.
The design of a katydid, often on its cage, was particularly popular during the mid-Qing period, from the late-Qianlong reign into the early nineteenth century, and subsequently became one of the popular motifs on Imperial Daoguang-marked porcelain snuff bottles. The exceptional quality of the carving and the impeccable finish on the present bottle suggest a date from the Qianlong reign, when glass carving at the Court was at its peak. An earlier date of manufacture is also suggested by the crizzling of the glass on the interior, a characteristic of Palace glass from the Kangxi period but also occurring occasionally on Qianlong glass, and, rarely, on some nineteenth-century Imperial products.
The unusual, rather brownish, ruby-red color of the glass here may have been intended to imitate flawless amber. The 18th-century Court took pleasure in all things novel, which included the concept of teasing the eye by creating imitations in glass of other materials. Because of the versatility of glass in this respect, it was often used to simulate such materials as amber, various hard stones (jade, jadeite, crystal, amethyst, beryl, aquamarine, etc.) and realgar among other materials. The Yongzheng Palace Archives mention "amber [glass] cups with carved decoration" (see Yang Boda, "A Brief Account of Qing Dynasty Glass," Chinese Glass of the Ch'ing Dynasty 1644-1911, The Robert H. Clague Collection, p.78).
For a discussion on the small masks and their circular rings as a possible Palace feature of the mid-Qing period, see Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle. The J & J Collection, no. 347.
The Chinese pronunciation of the word for "katydid" (guoguo) sounds the same as that for "country." The rebus is interpreted as jinzhong baoguo, meaning "to be loyal to one's country." Such a pun would have been a subtle and effective way of reminding officials of an essential tenet of Confucian government.
The design of a katydid, often on its cage, was particularly popular during the mid-Qing period, from the late-Qianlong reign into the early nineteenth century, and subsequently became one of the popular motifs on Imperial Daoguang-marked porcelain snuff bottles. The exceptional quality of the carving and the impeccable finish on the present bottle suggest a date from the Qianlong reign, when glass carving at the Court was at its peak. An earlier date of manufacture is also suggested by the crizzling of the glass on the interior, a characteristic of Palace glass from the Kangxi period but also occurring occasionally on Qianlong glass, and, rarely, on some nineteenth-century Imperial products.
The unusual, rather brownish, ruby-red color of the glass here may have been intended to imitate flawless amber. The 18th-century Court took pleasure in all things novel, which included the concept of teasing the eye by creating imitations in glass of other materials. Because of the versatility of glass in this respect, it was often used to simulate such materials as amber, various hard stones (jade, jadeite, crystal, amethyst, beryl, aquamarine, etc.) and realgar among other materials. The Yongzheng Palace Archives mention "amber [glass] cups with carved decoration" (see Yang Boda, "A Brief Account of Qing Dynasty Glass," Chinese Glass of the Ch'ing Dynasty 1644-1911, The Robert H. Clague Collection, p.78).
For a discussion on the small masks and their circular rings as a possible Palace feature of the mid-Qing period, see Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle. The J & J Collection, no. 347.
The Chinese pronunciation of the word for "katydid" (guoguo) sounds the same as that for "country." The rebus is interpreted as jinzhong baoguo, meaning "to be loyal to one's country." Such a pun would have been a subtle and effective way of reminding officials of an essential tenet of Confucian government.