IMPERIAL, PALACE WORKSHOPS, BEIJING, 1770-1799

Details

A VERY RARE GUYUE XUAN ENAMELED CARVED WHITE GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE
IMPERIAL, PALACE WORKSHOPS, BEIJING, 1770-1799
Of compressed ovoid form, carved in relief and painted in famille rose enamels with a continuous design of an eagle standing on one leg atop a rock beside grasses beneath a pine tree, the sun framed by colorful clouds, jadeite stopper with vinyl collar
2 3/8 in. (6 cm.) high

Provenance

G. T. Marsh & Co., Monterey, California, circa 1977.
The Neal W. and Frances R. Hunter Collection.
Sotheby's, New York, 15 September 1998, lot 15.
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd.

Literature

C. Chu, "The J & J Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles", Oriental Art, vol. XLIX, no. 2 (2003), p. 65.

Exhibited

Christie's, Los Angeles, 2003.

Special notice

Items which contain rubies or jadeite originating in Burma (Myanmar) may not be imported into the U.S. As a convenience to our bidders, we have marked these lots with Y. Please be advised that a purchaser¹s inability to import any such item into the U.S. or any other country shall not constitute grounds for non-payment or cancellation of the sale. With respect to items that contain any other types of gemstones originating in Burma (e.g., sapphires), such items may be imported into the U.S., provided that the gemstones have been mounted or incorporated into jewellery outside of Burma and provided that the setting is not of a temporary nature (e.g., a string).

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Lot Essay

In 1767, the Jian Yuan was completed in the Changchun Yuan complex (a series of Imperial gardens to the West of Beijing adjoining the Yuanming Yuan, known collectively as the Summer Palace). One of the halls within the Jian Yuan was the Guyue Xuan (Ancient Moon Pavilion). The Changchun Yuan was intended as a retirement home for the Qianlong Emperor, although he never took up full-time residence there. The Guyue Xuan was completed in 1767, prompting the Emperor to order a group of wares, mostly enamels on glass, bearing the name of that particular pavilion.
The motif of an eagle standing on one leg, with sun and pine tree, imparts several symbolic meanings. An eagle (ying) perched on one leg (duli) is a rebus for the phrase yingxiong duli ('A great man towers over his peers'). The imagery evokes ideals of courage, loyalty and the ability to achieve great things. The combination of an eagle and a pine tree conveys a wish that such a great man will live a long life. See a very similar example illustrated by M. Hughes, The Blair Bequest. Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Princeton University Art Museum, p. 121, no. 138.

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