RARE TABATIERE EN PORCELAINE FAMILLE ROSE CHINE, IMPERIAL, FOURS DE JINGDEZHEN, MARQUE ET EPOQUE QIANLONG (1736-1795)

décorée de fleurs de lotus et feuillages sur fond de rinceaux or dans le style de Jinshang tianhua, le pied et le col rehaussés d'or; le bouchon en corail et verre bleu



 

Marchant & Son
Bertrand de Lavergne

 

Tabatières Chinoises, Trésors des Collections Privées Françaises, Paris, 29 novembre – 17 décembre 2000, n°290

Good condition. The gold scrolls are slightly rubbed in some places (on one of the shoulder on one side and to the lower part) ; a tiny dent on the inner mouth rim ; the actual colour is sghly less strong, the painting more soft and subtle than on the catalogue illustration.
"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 belongs to an exquisite small group of  imperial porcelain bottles decorated in the Jinshang tianhua style (flowers on a brocade pattern), started in the early Qianlong period as recorded in the 1744 archive, probably under the direction of Tang Yin, as stated by Peter Y. K. Lam (Journal, The International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, Autumn 2003).

The Jinshang tianhua style refers to a Famille Rose decorative scheme on porcelain wares, where formalized floral scrolls in larger scale are painted and set against a ground of minutely painted or finely incised feather-like scrolls.

The gold scroll feathery decoration against a pale beige ground of the present example is comparable to the famous group of double gourd porcelain snuff bottles with the Qianlong mark : one illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Snuff Bottles, pl.311; two others, one in the J & J Collection sold at Christie's New York, 29 March 2006, lot 56, the other in the Mary and George Bloch Collection.

Compare also with two bottles in Jinshang tianhua style with painted scrolls in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Snuff Bottles. The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, p. 165, no. 305 and 306. See also the six character gilded mark of no. 316, p. 206. The variability of the quality of the writing mainly due to the foot rim hampering the access to the writing surface, is discussed by Moss, Graham, Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles. The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 6 part 2, Arts of the Fire, no. 1156.