IMPERIAL, PALACE WORKSHOPS, BEIJING, 1770-1840

Details

**AN UNUSUAL RED GLASS OVERLAY COLORLESS GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE
IMPERIAL, PALACE WORKSHOPS, BEIJING, 1770-1840
Of compressed form, fluidly carved on both main sides with sinuous horned chi dragons with bifurcated tails, jade stopper with horn collar
2 37/64 in. (6.5 cm.) high

Provenance

Robert Hall, London.

Exhibited

Canadian Craft Museum, Vancouver, 1992.

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Lot Essay

The chi dragon was among the most popular designs on Imperial snuff bottles. See Moss, Graham and Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Vol. 1, Jade, no. 99, for a discussion of the development of the chi dragon as a decorative motif. During the mid-Qing period, chi dragons often appeared as the principal decoration on bottles made for the Court but were less commonly found as the main subject on bottles from the workshops at Guangzhou, Yixing, Fujian and Suzhou.

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