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Lot Essay
Moss, Graham and Tsang illustrate a blue glass bottle with aventurine flecks from the J&J collection and discuss in detail the introduction of aventurine glass from Venice to Beijing and its subsequent use in The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, the J&J Collection, vol. II, New York, p. 572 and 573. The Chinese much admired this glass and had difficulties producing it. It was imported in blocks from Europe in the early part of the 18th century, before the Chinese were successful in creating it. It was used as flecks in colored glass bottles, and more rarely, as seen here, as a carved material for solid bottles.
This bottle resembles the shape of a jade snuff bottle and is carved much like jade examples created in the imperial workshops. Another rare imperial bottle carved from a solid block of aventurine glass, of ovoid form and carved with imperial-style motifs, is illustrated by D. Low in Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect III, Singapore, 2007, p. 125, no. 101.
This bottle resembles the shape of a jade snuff bottle and is carved much like jade examples created in the imperial workshops. Another rare imperial bottle carved from a solid block of aventurine glass, of ovoid form and carved with imperial-style motifs, is illustrated by D. Low in Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect III, Singapore, 2007, p. 125, no. 101.