AN IMPERIAL PALE GREEN JADE CRICKET CAGE-FORM SNUFF BOTTLE IMPERIAL, ATTRIBUTED TO THE PALACE WORKSHOPS, MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

carved in the form of a miniature cricket cage, the lip made from a separate piece of material, with a recessed circular foot surrounded by a flat footrim, simply incised with a design of bamboo growing from a rocky ground and an inscription composed by the Qianlong emperor, followed by Qianlong yushang (Imperial gift from the Qianlong emperor), all in regular script; the white jade stopper incised with a formalised shou (longevity) character

Collection of Edith Griswold.
Sotheby’s New York, 14th June 1994, lot 309.

Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, The British Museum, London, 1995, cat. no. 41.

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. 112.

There are two pitted patches to the celadon jade body, with the larger one measuring approx. 0.9 cm, which are inherent to the jade. The spoon is missing. It is otherwise in overall good condition. The black pigments filling in the incision have been well preserved. The stone has some natural inclusions and veining.
"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 main interest in this bottle lies in its extraordinary documentary significance. It demonstrates beyond a doubt that the Qianlong emperor not only gave specific snuff bottles to favoured individuals in his service, but also used particularly imperial designations on them. Here the mark reads Qianlong yushang. The word shang can mean either 'bestow' or 'appreciate', and when it appears on a painting or a Ming inkstone, for example, it would be appropriate to translate Qianlong yushangas 'Appreciated by the Qianlong emperor'; it is a mark of his ownership and connoisseurship. Here, however, the text of the poem clearly indicates that the bottle was a personal gift and that the alternative meaning was intended, raising the possibility that this mark may in other cases designate a gift from the emperor rather than a personal object.

The main inscription may be translated as follows:

Carved on the yellow jade are several stems of bamboo.
On you I bestow this; treasure it forever.

The separate material at the lip of this bottle imitates the normal ivory lip of the common gourd cricket cage; the same feature was seen on the cricket-cage snuff bottle in amber-brown glass that was also in the Bloch collection, sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 28th November 2011, lot 130.