A WHITE OVERLAY SAPPHIRE-BLUE GLASS 'CHILONG' SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

Collection of Phyllis Kaufman, 1979.
Collection of Gerd Lester, 1986.

Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 1987, cat. no. 106.
Kleine Schätze aus China. Snuff bottles—Sammlung von Mary und George Bloch erstmals in Österreich, Creditanstalt, Vienna, 1993.

Gerd Lester, ‘Artistry in a Bottle’, Antiques World, September 1980, p. 67.
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. 939.

Small cut-through bubble in the lip - part of the original production process. A minute chip on the back of one dragon, but not significant.
"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 example and Sale 6, lot 155 represent a strange anomaly in what is assumed to be imperial glassmaking during the second half of the Qianlong period. Both are extensively crizzled, a phenomenon that occurred sporadically on presumed imperial glass well into the late eighteenth century. The Sale 6, lot 155, reasonably dated to 1780, demonstrates that ongoing problems of glass mixtures persisted through to the end of the Qianlong period. A batch of colourless glass—perhaps stored from an earlier date or recycled from much earlier imports that had broken—may have supplied the material for both these bottles. On the other hand, the crizzling here may not be related to the glass mix. The only conclusion that can safely be drawn is that crizzling persisted into the latter part of the Qianlong reign, however infrequently, and that sufficient crizzled pieces have strong imperial connections to suggest it was a particular problem of the imperial glassworks.

The carving style of this magnificent bottle betrays no hint of declining standards and indeed, the reverse is true, as illustrated by spectacularly well-controlled carving and bats as fine as one could hope for from a lapidary. The matching of the foot rim to the overlay colour, however, is less than impressive, despite a very neat foot rim. Formal integrity is impeccable, and the surface of the lower plane remarkably well controlled, completely free of carving marks or undulations. A date from the mid- to late-Qianlong period seems the most likely. These white designs on a darker ground are invariably spectacular, and this is no exception.