1750-1840

This bottle is part of a spectacular group of overlay bottles, all with similar lily designs on a deep cobalt-blue ground. A bottle of circular shape, with a design of two horizontal lilies on either side, is illustrated by Moss, Graham, Tsang in A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, the Mary and George Bloch Collection, Volume 5, Part I, Hong Kong, 2002, pp. 553-554, no. 937, where the authors note that bottles from this group are some of the most sought-after examples of overlay glass, and also document others in the group. A very similar example to the present bottle, but lacking the white border at the mouth, from the Gerd Lester Collection, was sold at Christie’s New York, 17 March 1997, lot 35.