1760-1820

Details

**A RARE FIVE-COLOR OVERLAY BUBBLE-SUFFUSED COLORLESS GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE
1760-1820
Of compressed form with flat lip and recessed flat foot surrounded by a footrim, carved with a continuous design of lotus, begonia, peony and chrysanthemum blossoms in red, pink, yellow and turquoise-blue overlay, all growing from a single leafy branch carved in the green overlay, all against a bubble-suffused ground, carved tourmaline stopper with glass collar
2 33/64 in. (6.4 cm.) high

Provenance

A private American collection.

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

One of the advantages of a colorless ground is that each overlay appears in its true color, as seen on the present example. The rare combination of colors on this bottle is enhanced by the impeccable carving and well-composed design. See Moss, Graham and Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Vol. 5, Glass, nos. 985-92, for a discussion of this group of multi-color overlay snuff bottles. The subject, style and some of the colors link this to an example carved with lotus illustrated by M. Hughes, The Blair Bequest. Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Princeton University Art Museum, nos. 189 and 191. The classic examples of this group of bottles consist of a variety of colors spread around the bottle linked by a common color, here, by the green overlay stems and foliage.

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