AN ENAMELLED COPPER 'FLORAL POUCH' SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, KANGXI / YONGZHENG PERIOD

Robert Kleiner, 1999.

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. 1127.

Some wear to the guilding details and edges of the enamels. Various patches of repainting overall. The stopper has been replaced by a chased metal one.
"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."

A series of pouch- or purse-shaped enamelled metal snuff bottles from Guangzhou was produced as a standard form from perhaps the late Kangxi period into the Qianlong reign. The majority appear to be early, suggesting that the vogue for them began to wane during the first half of the Qianlong period. As a rule, they are decorated with simulated textile designs, but since a textile can bear any sort of design, this was not in practice much of a restriction on the range of decorative subject matter. Although it is not certain if any early Guangzhou enamels were made for the court, that could have been the intention behind this series. One can be certain that at least one ended up in the imperial collection (a yellow-ground version with a floral design of the same form as this and lot 133in the present sale, illustrated in Li Jiufang 2002, no. 137 and Yang Boda 2002 – 2004, vol. 6, p. 122, plate 185). The bottle in the imperial collection has the original beaded cords, although it is not certain whether they were added so that the bottle could actually hang from the belt, as is likely, or merely in order to better resemble the pouches that did. Purses or pouches of this form were a standard part of courtly paraphernalia and inspired snuff bottles made in the north, so there is no reason why they should not have similarly inspired southern production for the court. The fact that they bear no reign mark may be in part due to the slow process of introducing one as standard for southern production (none was established until some time during the Yongzheng reign), and in part to the fact that there is no obvious place to add one.

Among all such pouch-shaped bottles, this is likely to be among the earliest for two main reasons: The raised metal ridge dividing the two main sides echoes the obviously very early Sale 5, lot 13; and, save for the additional pink ground, the design is the typical black or sepia scrolling floral pattern found on many late-Kangxi Guangzhou enamel vessels (including snuff bottles). Here, the design is a slightly evolved version, enhanced with gold enamel details. The ground colour is of the rather dark, ruby-pink of the earliest enamels rather than the paler pink of later production. The darker pink remained an option in the fully mature famille rose palette, but was used more for shading and emphasis in conjunction with a paler colour.

Another possible link to the early example of Sale 5, lot 13 is the loop handles for suspension cords, placed parallel to each other on each side of the neck. Loops of this kind appear on another pouch-form Guangzhou enamel, with a European subject, including a rather whimsical depiction of an angel or cherub (Sotheby’s New York, 23rd March 1998, lot 286). Another example is in Gillingham 1978, no. 112, with a fenghuang design on a black ground typical of the Yongzheng era. One more, also with the raised metal ridge that has been argued to be indicative of early techniques and decorated with a likely imperial subject of typical Guangzhou-style chi dragons on a yellow ground, was published by Robert Kleiner (Robert Kleiner & Co. 1998, no. 70); this one further endorsing the possibility of products made to be sent to the emperor, whether or not specifically ordered by him.