A GUYUE XUAN ENAMELED WHITE GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE

IMPERIAL, PALACE WORKSHOPS, BEIJING, 1770-1795

Details

A GUYUE XUAN ENAMELED WHITE GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE
IMPERIAL, PALACE WORKSHOPS, BEIJING, 1770-1795
The bottle is decorated in polychrome enamels with a continuous scene of plants including camellia, begonia, and bamboo and butterflies flying above. The base is inscribed in iron-red in regular script, Guyue Xuan (Ancient Moon Pavilion).
2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm.) high, glass stopper

Provenance

Robert Kleiner, London, 2004.
Ruth and Carl Barron Collection, Belmont, Massachusetts, no. 3964.

Brought to you by

Margaret Gristina

mgristina@christies.com +1 212 636 2180

Lot Essay

The completion of the Guyue Xuan in 1767 for the Qianlong Emperor prompted him to order a series of enamel-on-glass wares, which apparently involved not only the established enamellers at the Palace workshops, but also a new group of enamellers co-opted by the Court. The entire group is discussed by Moss in "Mysteries of the Ancient Moon," Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, Spring 2006, pp. 16-33. A similar bottle from a private North American collection was sold at Christie’s New York, 22-23 March 2012, lot 1580.

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