A SAPPHIRE-BLUE AVENTURINE-GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

Zhirou Zhai Collection.
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., 1993.

Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 5, Hong Kong, 2002, no. 717.

Good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This bottle represents a group in which fragments of aventurine glass are rolled into the surface of a contrasting colour. For more on aventurine glass, see Sale 4, lot 59. The Chinese terms for this material are jinxing boli 金星玻璃 (‘golden-star glass’) and wendulina 溫都里那 (or 文都里那).

Nothing about this bottle would preclude a date from the first half of the eighteenth century. The simple form could have been made at any time, but the blue glass here is as suffused with air bubbles as any piece known of this colour and also contains some impurities, as if the type might still have been at an experimental stage when it was produced.