A CARVED 'REALGAR' GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE

IMPERIAL, PALACE WORKSHOPS, BEIJING, 1730-1840

Details

A CARVED 'REALGAR' GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE
IMPERIAL, PALACE WORKSHOPS, BEIJING, 1730-1840
Of high-shouldered tapering form, the bottle is carved on either side through the mottled bright red and yellow layer to the mustard-yellow ground with a pair of goldfish swimming amongst aquatic plants enclosed within decorative borders.
2 7/16 in. (6.3 cm.) high, hardstone stopper

Provenance

Martin Schoen Colletion; acquired from Belle Schoen, New York, 1987.

Lot Essay

The Chinese name for goldfish (jinyu) is a pun for gold (jin) and jade (yu). The word for goldfish in a pond (tang) is a homonym for 'hall,' meaning 'family home,' and part of the expression jinyu mantang (May your home be filled with gold and jade).

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