This charming bottle belongs to a well-known group of eggplant-form bottles which have separate, contrasting calyxes, often carved from spinach-green jade. See, for example, a white jade example with a spinach-green jade calyx, illustrated by Moss et. al., A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, No. 1, Jade, no. 70, and a related set of six magnolia bud-form bottles with separate calyxes. The white and green jade versions are also found in sets typical of those made for the Palace, whether at the Imperial workshops or elsewhere for the Court. This apparently unique Imperial-yellow glass version seems to confirm the Courtly status since, on early wares, yellow was reserved exclusively for Court use (although the Imperial Records state that Imperial-yellow objects were distributed by the Emperor from time to time). Subject, style and the extensive natural wear on the yellow glass, transforming the usually glossy surface into a satiny sheen, all suggest that this bottle dates from the Qianlong period, although an earlier date is not out of the question.

The simulated stalk carved from spinach-green jade completes the fruit from, and provides both a suitable stopper and a point from which the eggplant grew. This stopper may very well be the original, as the spinach-green jade from which it is carved compares closely in colour and polish to that of the calyx.