AN UNDERGLAZE RED AND BLUE PORCELAIN 'FISHERMAN' SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY

with a convex lip and recessed flat foot with a convex footrim, painted under the glaze with a continuous landscape scene that fills all space below the neck, with the sun, five geese, and some wispy clouds starting the design on the shoulder, below which is an open pavilion positioned below the sun and birds on a wide shelf amid rounded shapes that represent variously rocks and hills and overlooking a distant mountain silhouette above a fisherman striding across a reddish patch on the bank of a river of conventional wave designs that rings the lower part of the bottle, two fish held out in his right hand, his rod tied to his back, and his left hand raised as if to beckon to a scholar sitting with his rod on the prow of a small skiff that moves toward him in the river below and to our left, past a house in a grove of trees that reaches back up to the shoulder, the boat being propelled by a boy on the stern oar with a large fish basket at his feet; the glass stopper with a pearl finial and vinyl collar

Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., 1985.

Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Miniature Art from the Collection of George and Mary Bloch, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 176.
National Museum of Singapore, Singapore, 1994-1995.

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. 1386.

There is light surface wear to the glaze from handling, but the snuff bottle is in overall good condition. The red enamel is of a somewhat more orange-iron red tone and the blue slightly more greyish compared to 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."

PROVENANCE
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., 1985.
LITERATURE
Moss et al., 1996-2009, vol. 6, no. 1386.