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Lot Essay
Both the bottle and stopper appear to be lacquered on a wood base.
At some time during the latter part of the nineteenth century, Japanese workshops began to expand their repertoire of forms to include snuff bottles, mainly in response to the growing demand from Western collectors. The earlier group of Japanese bottles may be divided into two main categories. The first is composed of distinctly Japanese types which were sometimes signed by their makers; while the second category consisted of copies of Chinese types which usually bore either Qianlong or occasionally, Jiaqing reign marks.
This bottle belongs to the superb group of Japanese bottles in lacquer and ivory characterized by its exquisite carving, both technically and sculpturally; by exotic and matching stoppers; by the use of horizontal, four-character reign marks either in regular or seal script, and by the frequent use of a thin bronze lip on those with a lacquer neck. For other related examples, see Robert Hall, Chinese Snuff Bottles III, no. 89, another from the Russell Mullin Collection in H. Moss ed., Chinese Snuff Bottles No. 5, p. 29, fig. 20; Sotheby's New York, 15 March 1984, lot 293; JICSBS, June 1975, p. 3, from the Kleiner Collection; and JICSBS, June 1981, p. 23.
At some time during the latter part of the nineteenth century, Japanese workshops began to expand their repertoire of forms to include snuff bottles, mainly in response to the growing demand from Western collectors. The earlier group of Japanese bottles may be divided into two main categories. The first is composed of distinctly Japanese types which were sometimes signed by their makers; while the second category consisted of copies of Chinese types which usually bore either Qianlong or occasionally, Jiaqing reign marks.
This bottle belongs to the superb group of Japanese bottles in lacquer and ivory characterized by its exquisite carving, both technically and sculpturally; by exotic and matching stoppers; by the use of horizontal, four-character reign marks either in regular or seal script, and by the frequent use of a thin bronze lip on those with a lacquer neck. For other related examples, see Robert Hall, Chinese Snuff Bottles III, no. 89, another from the Russell Mullin Collection in H. Moss ed., Chinese Snuff Bottles No. 5, p. 29, fig. 20; Sotheby's New York, 15 March 1984, lot 293; JICSBS, June 1975, p. 3, from the Kleiner Collection; and JICSBS, June 1981, p. 23.