.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The conception of this bottle is extremely clever, using the two colors to suggest a double bottle, although it is a single one inside, and the use of the design elements to stand for the mask-and-ring handles commonly found on Imperial Court bottles.
The unusual designs on this striking bottle suggest probable Imperial production, although the style does not allow a firm attribution to any particular center of carving, leaving open the possibility that it was made for the Court at any of the eight Imperial facilities producing fine jade carvings for the Court during the mid-Qing period, or at a private workshop emulating Courtly style or designed as tribute to be presented to the Emperor. The design of raised, floral roundels appears on a series of Imperial ceramics and textiles from the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, but very rarely on other works of art. The tied brocade sash is also a design associated with Imperial wares, both on ceramics and snuff bottles and suggests a precious object, wrapped as if for presentation. This motif symbolizes longevity through a pun on the characters for "tied sash" (shoudai) and "longevity" (shou).
The unusual designs on this striking bottle suggest probable Imperial production, although the style does not allow a firm attribution to any particular center of carving, leaving open the possibility that it was made for the Court at any of the eight Imperial facilities producing fine jade carvings for the Court during the mid-Qing period, or at a private workshop emulating Courtly style or designed as tribute to be presented to the Emperor. The design of raised, floral roundels appears on a series of Imperial ceramics and textiles from the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, but very rarely on other works of art. The tied brocade sash is also a design associated with Imperial wares, both on ceramics and snuff bottles and suggests a precious object, wrapped as if for presentation. This motif symbolizes longevity through a pun on the characters for "tied sash" (shoudai) and "longevity" (shou).