A HORNBILL 'BOYS AND BIRDS' SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, LATE 18TH / MID-19TH CENTURY

reasonably well hollowed, with a flat lip and recessed foot surrounded by a protruding flattened footrim, the main sides carved with oval panels with beaded frames, one with a boy standing on a rocky outcrop about to grab at a low-flying bird beneath a pine tree, with blades of long grass growing around him, the other with a similar youth on a similarly rocky ground creeping up to grab another bird, also under a pine tree with blades of grass growing around him, the narrow sides with chilong  holding lingzhi in their mouths, carved out of the red outer casque; the glass stopper with a gilt-bronze collar

Sydney L. Moss Ltd, circa 1964.
Collection of Alex S. Cussons.
Hugh M. Moss Ltd., 1977.
Belfort Collection, 1986.

Très précieuses tabatières chinoises: Collection rassemblée par Maître Viviane Juthea, L’Arcade Chaumet, Paris, 1982, p. 16, cat. no. 225.
Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch at the Galleries of Sydney L. Moss, Ltd., Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 1987, cat. no. 194.
Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, The British Museum, London, 1995, cat. no. 341.
Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1997.

Hugh Moss, ed., Chinese Snuff Bottles,  no. 4, London, 1966, p. 27.
Hugh Moss, ed., Chinese Snuff Bottles,  no. 5, London, 1969, p. 96, figs. 20-22.
Hugh Moss, 'On Being Well-Informed', Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, December 1976, p. 25, top-left.
Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, March 1979, front cover.
Viviane Jutheau, Guide du collectionneur de tabatières chinoises, Paris, 1980, p. 124, figs. 1-3.
Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, September 1981, front cover.
Gayle Gray Laverlochè, 'Book Review: Tabatières Chinoises’, Arts of Asia, September-October 1982, p. 150, centre.
Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 7, Hong Kong, 2009, no. 1568.

There are some vertical age cracks over the neck and shoulders and down the narrow sides to the foot; There is a possible small chip to the tail of one chilong on the narrow side; otherwise the snuff bottle is in 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."

There are two main groups of important early hornbill snuff bottles. The first is represented by this bottle, the second by an example from the Bloch collection, sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 27th May 2012, lot 138, which is by the artist known as Baishi. The two groups were probably contemporaneous, both being produced in the early nineteenth century, but it is possible that the group represented by the present example may have begun a little earlier. Two of Baishi's works are dated to the mid-Daoguang period, establishing his period of activity, whereas none of the present group is signed, dated, or reign marked.

Because the works of the artist and his workshop of the present bottle are so recognizable, he has been coined the title: 'The Mid-Qing Hornbill Master'.