ATTRIBUTED TO THE PALACE WORKSHOPS, BEIJING, 1700-1740

Details

**AN UNUSUAL RUBY-RED GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE
ATTRIBUTED TO THE PALACE WORKSHOPS, BEIJING, 1700-1740
Of flattened spherical form with flat lip, each main side with a raised, flat circular panel, the narrow sides flattened, the transparent glass slightly variegated and with a faint orange blush towards the foot, coral stopper with silver collar
1 in. (4.72 cm.) high

Provenance

Christies, New York, 2 December 1994, lot 499
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd.

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Lot Essay

This bottle is an early example of a ruby-red bottle produced at the Palace Workshops. The shape is extremely unusual, incorporating the flat or dished central panels which may have acted as integral snuff dishes. See one from the Bloch Collection illustrated by Moss, Graham, Tsang in A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Vol. 5, Glass, no. 792, also without a foot but with continuous flattened narrow side panels. The shape is probably derived from European pocket-watches, which were imported into the Palace in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries.

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