AN ENAMELLED GLASS 'LOTUS POND' SNUFF BOTTLE GUYUEXUAN MARK, QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

together with a watercolour illustration by Peter Suart

Collection of Eric Young.
Sotheby's London, 13th October 1987, lot 65. 

Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, British Museum, London, 1995, cat. no. 34.
Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1997. 

Antiques Trade Gazette, 7th November 1987, p. 18. 
Teresa Tse Bartholomew, 'Botanical Motifs in Chinese Art', Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, Autumn 1988, p. 11, fig. 16.
Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 6, Hong Kong, 2007, no. 1100.

The mouthrim has possibly been slightly polished to smoothen the nibbled lip. Apart from some minor wear to the extremities and characteristic bubbling to the enamels, the overall condition is very good.
"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."

With the double-plane wares of the classic Guyue xuan group, enamelling at court came under better control than before. There are earlier examples on which the enamels have mostly fired perfectly, but they are the exception rather than the rule, whereas with the double-pane group the enamellers could generally count upon a high level of technical control in the firing. There are lapses, particularly when the more troublesome colours were applied thickly, and one such failure is visible here in the pitting of the green on the drooping, yellowing leaf in the foreground of one main side. The effect, although surely unintentional, is actually positive, as it reinforces the image of the rotting leaf.

Even in this fully mature example of the Guyue xuan group, one can see decorative links to the experimental group that began in 1767. The lotus design here is one obvious example, incorporating as it does one large floppy, ageing leaf in the foreground, its centre enamelled in yellow, just like those on Sale 5, lot 99, and Sale 7, lot 145. The use of simple dotted lines to delineate the leaves also remains the same, even if they are more precisely and confidently painted.

For other double-plane Guyue xuan bottles, see the commentary to this bottle in Treasury 6.