AN IVORY ‘LUOHAN’ SNUFF BOTTLE JAPAN, MEIJI PERIOD, 2ND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY / EARLY 20TH CENTURY

with a flat lip and recessed foot surrounded by a protruding flat footrim, carved with a continuous scene of a rocky foreshore to a body of water defined as formalized waves, on which two Buddhist luohan stand, one holding an elaborate staff with six simulated loose rings hanging from it, another an alms bowl, and a third, seated on a rocky outcrop over the water, holding a flaming pearl up to a five-clawed imperial dragon with flaming flanks, the neck and outer footrim each with a band of double-unit leiwen, the foot inscribed in regular script with a four-character Qianlong reign mark within a square cartouche defined by double lines; the original ivory stopper carved in the form of a melon or gourd and set on a stained collar with a band of double-unit leiwen; together with a watercolour illustration by Peter Stuart

Robert Hall, London, 1987.

Chinese Snuff Bottles I, Robert Hall, London, 1987, cat. no. 1.
Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, The British Museum, London, 1995, cat. no. 314.
Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1997.

Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, Autumn 2000, front cover.
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. 1676.

There are natural age cracks in the material as visible on the photograph in the catalogue. Otherwise the snuff bottle is in overall 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 form of the present bottle is typical of moulded-porcelain bottles from the mid-Qing period, although no known moulded-porcelain of this exact design exists. It belongs to a group of other intricately carved ivory bottles bearing four-character Qianlong marks, which were all previously believed to products of the Qing imperial workshops. The group is now known to have been made in Japanese after 1854. and the present bottle may be attributed to the Imperial master in Japan.