A RARE TRIPLE OVERLAY GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE

exquisitely carved, of flattened ovoid form on a petite tapered foot, the body carved in relief revealing the outer green and two inner layers of yellow and pink, on an opaque creamy-white ground, depicting a continuous scene of a figure crossing a foot-bridge, perhaps to greet the nearby fisherman poling his sampan, surrounded by towering wutong and palm trees, the sloping shoulder decorated with birds flying in the mist, rising to a slender neck, the base with a three-character Shende Tang seal mark

Clare Lawrence Ltd.
Joseph Baruch Silver Collection.
Christie's Hong Kong, 3rd May 1994, lot 925.

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, Hawaii, 23rd November 1989 - 7th January 1990.

Clare Lawrence, 'An Analysis of the Seal School Group of Glass Snuff Bottles', JICSBS, Summer 1993, p. 14, nos. 42 and 45.
Clare Lawrence, 1993 Snuff Bottle Engagement Diary, August/September and front cover.
Emily Byrne Curtis, Pure Brightness Shines Everywhere. The Glass of China, Burlington, VT, 2004, p. 113, figs. 12.9 - 12.10.

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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This rare color combination is known to exist on one other triple overlay snuff bottle in the collection of Rachelle R. Holden. It also depicts a walking figure and a fisherman on a pavilion and lake, and is illustrated in Rivers and Mountains Far From the World, New York, 1994, pl. 126, pp. 288-289. Its comparable shape, colors and carving suggest that the Holden bottle was probably created in the same workshop.

The three-character Shende Tang (Hall of Prudent Virtue) mark is unusual, as the majority on porcelain pieces are four-character marks. Other than porcelain wares, only three paintings and one other snuff bottle exist with this type of Shende Tang mark. The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York, has in its collection the only other bottle known with a three-character Shende Tang mark on its base. Intriguingly, one of the paintings features the Daoguang emperor seated with a ruby red glass snuff bottle by his side.

A discussion by Clare Lawrence on this subject, featured in the JICSBS Summer 1993 issue, p. 16, explains that 'early Chinese records, compiled at the turn of the century (in the Yinliu zhai shuocu and the Taoya  - 1906) state that although Shende Tang pieces with three-character marks are rare, they do exist.' Lawrence continues, '...the mark would have been added by the imperial mark-writer within the Palace. In the hierarchy of imperial marks, the use of a three-character form for the Shende Tang is a highly personalized form of imperial identification...'

The Shende Tang was the residence of the Daoguang emperor, situated within the Yuanmingyuan complex in Beijing. The use of the mark appears to be limited to the reign of Daoguang (1821-1850) and specifically from 1833 onwards, when pieces for the Shende Tang are recorded in the Archives of the Imperial Household Department.