AN INSCRIBED RUBY-RED GLASS 'WANSHOU WUJIANG' SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, YONGZHENG / QIANLONG PERIOD

Hugh M. Moss Ltd., Hong Kong, 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. 848.

Barely perceptible chip to the outer edge of one circular panel. Otherwise, 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."

This bottle represents a standard of carving in glass that is almost unequalled, and it is believed that it was made at the imperial glassworks, probably in the early to mid-Qianlong period. It is characterized not only by the extraordinary quality of the workmanship, which maintains the complete integrity of the ground plane miraculously well, but by well-rounded, superbly detailed carving finished with a distinctive, satiny polish. Similar features are found on Sale 5, lot 87 and Sale 1, lot 36, and a further group of bottles exists that displays the same distinctive polishing technique and may or may not be from the same workshop. All can be dated to the Qianlong period, and this group represents some of the finest carving from the imperial glassworks.

This spectacular example offers further endorsement of the imperial attribution for the entire group, and suggests an early to mid-Qianlong date. It exhibits typical palace mask handles with circular rings, and the glass is crizzled. The crizzling is confined to the inside surface and is quite marked, although light. So far, such crizzled ruby-red glass can be attributable to the early decades of the imperial glassworks.

The side with the Wanshou wujiang inscription reminds one of a tile end, but it does not include any lines delimiting the four quadrants or a centre medallion of any kind. Furthermore, although Wanshou wujiang 萬壽無疆is extremely common on Qing pottery, an example of this text on any early tile ends has not been found. The substitution of wu 毋 for wu 無 (both negatives: ‘without limit’) was obviously made because of the limitations of the carved-glass medium when it comes to fitting many strokes into a small area; this substitution is seen at least one actual ancient tile end, but it is extremely rare.