A FIVE-COLOUR OVERLAY MILKY-WHITE 'THREE FRIENDS' GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG / JIAQING PERIOD

of transparent ruby-red, sapphire-blue, yellow, semi-transparent turquoise- blue, brown-streaked green, and milky glass, all with scattered air bubbles of various sizes, with a flat lip and recessed flat foot surrounded by a protruding rounded footrim, carved as a single overlay with a continuous rocky ground, one main side with a bat holding a beribboned fylfot in its mouth flying above a pine tree, suggesting the form of the character shou, the other with a blossoming prunus tree and bamboo, suggesting the form of the character fu, with two further bats positioned to stand for handles, one with a lingzhi in its mouth, the other with a branch with two peaches; with a jadeite stopper

Sotheby’s New York, 3rd June 1992, lot 369.

Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Miniature Art from the Collection of George and Mary Bloch, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 114.
National Museum of Singapore, Singapore, 1994-1995.

Louis H. Exstein, 'New York Auction Reviews', Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, Autumn 1992, p. 24, fig. 4.
Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 5, Hong Kong, 2002, no. 980.

There is a very minute chip to the outer lip, but otherwise the snuff bottle is in overall quite 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."

Compare another bottle from the Bloch collection, illustrated in Moss et al., 1996-2009, vol. 5, no. 1040, attributed to Yangzhou, and unlikely to have been made until the last decade of the eighteenth century at the earliest. Both bottles display very similar overlay colours, including streaked green, a distinctive golden-yellow, pale turquoise, vivid sapphire-blue, and ruby-red. Their carving is conceptually and technically similar, featuring a convoluted rock formation pierced with holes.