AN IMPERIAL ARCHAISTIC JADE 'PHOENIX' SNUFF BOTTLE ATTRIBUTED TO THE PALACE WORKSHOPS, MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

with a screw-threaded inner neck, carved in the form of a squatting mythical beast supporting a phoenix-shaped vessel, incised on one side of the upper-neck lip with the four-character reign mark; the gilt-bronze stopper made from a converted robe-button and chased with a formalised shou character

Collection of Emma Thompson Dodge.
Christie’s New York, 3rd December 1992, lot 414.

Creditanstalt, Vienna, 1993.
Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, The British Museum, London, 1995, cat. no. 43.

Louis H. Exstein, 'New York Auctions Review', Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, Winter 1992, p. 38.
Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 1, Hong Kong, 1996, no. 105.

The snuff bottle is in very good condition. The original threaded stopper is missing.
"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."

The imperial nature of this bottle is confirmed by the reign mark that is typical in a number of ways of Court production during the Qianlong period. The material used is not inherently valuable but it does suggest ancient pebble material, and the hollowing, while adequate, leaves a very thick base area. The form is both archaistic (taken from ancient vessels in bronze) and complex, with the addition of the beast upon which the vessel sits. The central bottle itself represents a pouring vessel with the tail of a mythical bird forming the handle and its head the spout, while its two feet and the lower handle detail would have formed a tripod stand.

The most surprising feature on this bottle is the screw-threaded neck, suggesting that it originally had a matching threaded jade stopper. The threaded stopper, as is usual in ancient China, unscrews clockwise.The screw-threaded matching nephrite stopper that this bottle must once have had is an extremely rare feature on Imperial jade bottles and appears on only one other known example; see JICSBS, Summer 1989, p. 15, fig. 4.