Lot Essay
This bottle is one of a well-known group of glass bottles with chi dragons carved on their narrow sides. Most are of a beryl-green color, but they are found in sapphire-blue, ultramarine-blue, purple and occasionally in other colors. They are distinguished by being carved from solid blocks of glass rather than being blown, hence they are heavier, indicating that they were made to imitate hardstones. With their ubiquitous chi dragon decoration, and the existence of related bottles in such precious stones as tourmaline, beryl and aquamarine which are attributed to the Court, the entire group is reasonably ascribed to the Palace workshops and the mid-Qing period.
See two very similar bottles from the Meriem Collection, sold in our New York Rooms, 19 September 2007, lot 693 and 19 March 2008, lot 288
See two very similar bottles from the Meriem Collection, sold in our New York Rooms, 19 September 2007, lot 693 and 19 March 2008, lot 288