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Lot Essay
This is an outstanding example of the superbly carved ivory snuff bottles confidently attributed to the Beijing Palace workshops of the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods. These workshops appear to have been reasonably productive during the first half of the Qing dynasty.
The group of bottles represented by the present lot, forms a core of the finest ivory snuff bottles, and indeed the finest carvings in any organic material from Qing China. They also frequently have four-character reign marks typical of the Court of the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods.
The quality of carving on this group, as seen by the present bottle, is exquisite. There is an extraordinary degree of technical competence, allowing the artist complete control of his medium and a remarkable sculptural plasticity. A near identical carved ivory bottle is illustrated by Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles, The White Wings Collection, no. 143.
In the present bottle, all the finest qualities of what we may assume is Palace style are exhibited. The diagonal line of the boat set against the formalized wave ground is emphasized by the immense effort made by the boat boy at the back to manoeuvre it, while the calmer group of figures at the front provide both an upward, abstract thrust and counterpoint to the dynamic position and struggle of the boat boy. Every figure seems to come alive with individual personality and the whole scene is invested with great presence, as if the events depicted really meant something, not only to the figures involved, but to the artist enabling them to readily assume the same importance for the audience.
For other ivory snuff bottles, carved in a similar style, a few of which may be considered Imperial, see the remarkable group in the collection of the Marquess of Exeter, illustrated by Hugh Moss, Chinese Snuff Bottles No. 6, 01-06; five of which are also illustrated by Robert Kleiner, Snuff Bottles from the Burghley House Collection, nos. 138-142; Bob C. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, nos. 767 and 786; Robert Hall, Chinese Snuff Bottles, no. 1; Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, nos. 187-191; and Chinese Snuff Bottles No. 1, front cover and pp. 10-11, where the group was first identified and others and noted.
The group of bottles represented by the present lot, forms a core of the finest ivory snuff bottles, and indeed the finest carvings in any organic material from Qing China. They also frequently have four-character reign marks typical of the Court of the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods.
The quality of carving on this group, as seen by the present bottle, is exquisite. There is an extraordinary degree of technical competence, allowing the artist complete control of his medium and a remarkable sculptural plasticity. A near identical carved ivory bottle is illustrated by Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles, The White Wings Collection, no. 143.
In the present bottle, all the finest qualities of what we may assume is Palace style are exhibited. The diagonal line of the boat set against the formalized wave ground is emphasized by the immense effort made by the boat boy at the back to manoeuvre it, while the calmer group of figures at the front provide both an upward, abstract thrust and counterpoint to the dynamic position and struggle of the boat boy. Every figure seems to come alive with individual personality and the whole scene is invested with great presence, as if the events depicted really meant something, not only to the figures involved, but to the artist enabling them to readily assume the same importance for the audience.
For other ivory snuff bottles, carved in a similar style, a few of which may be considered Imperial, see the remarkable group in the collection of the Marquess of Exeter, illustrated by Hugh Moss, Chinese Snuff Bottles No. 6, 01-06; five of which are also illustrated by Robert Kleiner, Snuff Bottles from the Burghley House Collection, nos. 138-142; Bob C. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, nos. 767 and 786; Robert Hall, Chinese Snuff Bottles, no. 1; Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, nos. 187-191; and Chinese Snuff Bottles No. 1, front cover and pp. 10-11, where the group was first identified and others and noted.