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Lot Essay
In sandwiched pink and white glass, the color comes from powdered ruby glass added to the inner surface. This type of glass was a popular staple at the Court during the eighteenth century.
The lotus is one of the most familiar subjects in Chinese art. Since the perfect flower emerges from mud and murky waters, the lotus was adopted as a symbol of integrity and came to be associated with the upright gentleman. The lotus is also a Buddhist symbol of purity, and its formalized overlapping petals can be seen adorning the bases of Buddhist sculptures from the sixth century onwards.
This lovely bottle is a particularly well-balanced and finely carved example. Noteworthy here is the pleasing balance between the natural fold of the large leaf and the rigidly formal petals and the slight waisting of the form where the petals meet the leaf.
A very similar bottle from the Blanche B. Exstein Collection was sold in these rooms, 21 March 2002, lot 44. Other related bottles are in the Denis S. K. Low Collection and illustrated by R. Kleiner, Treasures from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect, no. 93, and D. Low, More Treasures from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect, nos. 103 and 104. See also the related pink glass bottle of tall ovoid form illustrated by Moss, Graham, Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Vol. 5, Glass, pp. 324-25, no. 818.
The lotus is one of the most familiar subjects in Chinese art. Since the perfect flower emerges from mud and murky waters, the lotus was adopted as a symbol of integrity and came to be associated with the upright gentleman. The lotus is also a Buddhist symbol of purity, and its formalized overlapping petals can be seen adorning the bases of Buddhist sculptures from the sixth century onwards.
This lovely bottle is a particularly well-balanced and finely carved example. Noteworthy here is the pleasing balance between the natural fold of the large leaf and the rigidly formal petals and the slight waisting of the form where the petals meet the leaf.
A very similar bottle from the Blanche B. Exstein Collection was sold in these rooms, 21 March 2002, lot 44. Other related bottles are in the Denis S. K. Low Collection and illustrated by R. Kleiner, Treasures from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect, no. 93, and D. Low, More Treasures from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect, nos. 103 and 104. See also the related pink glass bottle of tall ovoid form illustrated by Moss, Graham, Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Vol. 5, Glass, pp. 324-25, no. 818.