A LAVENDER JADEITE RINGED DOUBLE-GOURD SNUFF BOTTLE

well hollowed, of double-gourd form resting on a small concave base, the gently flared neck culminating in a slightly concave mouth, the mid-section of the gourd encircled by a loose ring, the stone of pale lavender color with a green inclusion

A private American jade collection formed before 1965.
Robert Kleiner.

Vanessa F. Holden, 'The Joe Grimberg Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles', Oriental Art, 2002, Vol. 48, No. 4, pp. 65-72, fig. 16.

The bottle is in very good overall 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.

The execution and finesse of the present bottle is a tour-de-force of carving, having required tremendous skill from the craftsman. While the bottle itself is masterfully finished with a smooth polish and displays subtleties of form, such as the gentle concavity of the mouth and base, the loose-ring is the most impressive of features, as it was carved from the same block of material as the bottle.

The possible attribution of this bottle to the Palace collection is by comparison white a jade bottle in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, which has a similarly flared neck and is carved with a four-character Qianlong seal mark on the base. See Chang Lin-sheng, Snuff Bottles in the Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1991, p. 150, fig. 121. Another white jade example, also possibly imperial, was sold in our London rooms, 23rd March 1988, lot 398, and is illustrated in Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles. The Mary and George Bloch Collection. Volume 1, JADE. Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 184-185, pl. 74. The combination of the ringed double-gourd design on a lavender jadeite bottle is very rare, and no further examples appear to have been published.