A MOULDED FAMILLE-ROSE PORCELAIN ‘GOURD’ DOUBLE SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, JIAQING / DAOGUANG PERIOD

moulded and painted in the form of two lobed gourds, complete with the leaves of their calyxes, growing from a vine, the larger gourd with a butterfly in flight on its surface, the bottom of the larger gourd with six small, cylindrical spur marks, the mouth of each bottle with a pale, caramel-brown glaze; the carnelian and malachite stoppers each with horn collars

Belfort Collection, 1986.

Très précieuses tabatières chinoises: Collection rassemblée par Maître Viviane Juthea, L’Arcade Chaumet, Paris, 1982, cat. no. 31.
Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, The British Museum, London, 1995, cat. no. 234.
Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1997.

Viviane Jutheau, Guide du collectionneur de tabatières chinoises, Paris, 1980, pp. 85 and 88.
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. 1235.

There are six spur marks on the foot from the firing process. There is some abrasions through use particularly to the iron red enamelled fruit; otherwise the snuff bottle is overall in very 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. 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 present bottle belongs to a small and rare group of enamelled porcelain gourd bottles. An almost identical bottle, although not from the same mould, was exhibited in Merveilles de la miniature chinoise: Flacons-tabati￨rès de chine de la collection du commandeur, Laurence Souksi, Paris, cat. no. 82. Another comparable example was offered at Christie's Hong Kong, 30th April - 2nd May 1995, lot 1467; and a third in the form of a single gourd in the Musée Guimet is illustrated in Passion mandchoue: flacons á tabac, Paris, 1991, p. 32.