PROBABLY IMPERIAL, ATTRIBUTED TO THE PALACE WORKSHOPS, BEIJING, qing dynasty, 1730-1820

In 1705, the governor of Suzhou received seventeen pieces of glass from the Court. This included wares in three monochrome colours, white, yellow and blue, as well as blue glass flecked with gold. (See Moss, Graham, Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Vol. 5, Glass, Chronological List.) By the end of the Kangxi period white glass was being produced at Court in several distinguishable shades or types of white. It was then used regularly for the rest of the dynasty, either as a monochrome glass, or as part of an overlay combination. Although of an unusual form, which evokes fairly common formalized chrysanthemum leaves, the colour, faceting and the wide mouth with a concave lip are all features of known eighteenth-century Palace glass snuff bottles on the current bottle.