AN IMPERIAL CANTON ENAMEL ‘EUROPEAN SUBJECT’ SNUFF BOTTLE MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

with a flat lip and slightly recessed, slightly convex foot surrounded by a protruding flat footrim, painted in famille-rose enamels on each main side with a panel of European subject, a woman with a basket of flowers beside her, holding a flower aloft above a young boy, with buildings and trees in the background, the panels surrounded by a chased metal design, the immediate frame foliate, the panels surrounded by formalized fruiting branches in chased metal on a turquoise-blue enamel ground, the upper footrim and neck with metal strips separating areas of enamel, those at the foot of a formalized floral design and at the neck of formalized lingzhi design, each enclosing a formalized floral scroll in pink, the foot with the remnants of a four-character reign mark in brownish-black enamel, the interior with traces of turquoise-blue enamel, the interior of the neck with an additional metal lining below the lip, all exposed metal gilt; the gilt-bronze stopper chased with a formalized floral design

An English private collection.
Robert Kleiner, London, 1992.

Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Miniature Art from the Collection of George and Mary Bloch, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 10.
National Museum of Singapore, Singapore, 1994-1995.
Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, The British Museum, London, 1995, cat. no. 16.
Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1997.

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. 1133.

There are traces of an original Qianlong reign mark (four character regular script) visible on the foot with a central repaired dent obscuring part of it. The snuff bottle is otherwise in an 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."

Compare the present bottle to another from the Bloch collection, sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 27^th May 2012, lot 126. It is possible that both bottles were made in Canton at the same time in response to the solid gold versions made in Beijing.