AN AMETHYST-PURPLE GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

Ko Collection, Tianjin, 1940.
Christie’s London, 18th June 1973, lot 60.
Collection of J. Mason.
Drouot (Millon-Jutheau), Paris, 6th November 1983, lot 23.
Collection of Paula J. Hallett.
Sotheby’s New York, 27th June 1986, lot 30.

Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 1987, cat. no. 75.
Kleine Schätze aus China. Snuff bottles—Sammlung von Mary und George Bloch erstmals in Österreich, Creditanstalt, Vienna, 1993.

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. 692.

Barely perceptible nibbles from the inner lip.
"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 colour here, while possessing a slightly bluer tint than Sale 8, lot 1070, is still emphatically purple and close to the colour of a fine amethyst. Again, it is a colour probably derived from manganese oxide.

With a bottle such as this, it is perhaps safer to say that it resembles rather than necessarily imitates amethyst. A stronger case for assuming intent to imitate can be made for those glass bottles carved from a solid block, like a stone, where even the weight is similar to the stone.

The shape of this bottle, akin to Sale 5, lot 45, appears to be an early form, and nothing about its manufacture would conflict with this assumption. It is an elegantly achieved compression of the sphere, balanced by a widely flaring neck and a small protruding foot rim, all achieved with consummate skill and with perfect formal integrity.