A FAMILLE-ROSE PORCELAIN 'LIU HAI AND LANDSCAPE' SNUFF BOTTLE SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF JIAQING

Ko Collection.
Christie's London, 14th June 1971, lot 78.
Hugh M. Moss Ltd.
Reif Collection.
Christie's New York, 18th October 1993, lot 9. 

Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, British Museum, London, 1995, cat. no. 199.
Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, 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. 1250.

The overall condition is very good, except for some minor surface wear, especially to the gold paints. The present stopper is a Republic replacement made for the Ko Collection.
"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 yellow ground on this bottle is an example of sgraffito, a technique apparently introduced by Tang Ying 唐英, the supervisor of the imperial kilns during the early Qianlong period and probably the 1740s (see Sale 9, lot 88). This method of decoration remained in constant use on a range of porcelain wares from the early Qianlong on, although it was not widely used on snuff bottles.

The thin wash of turquoise blue enamel on the interior seems to be a reference to the original inspiration: Beijing enamels on metal that were usually enamelled inside with turquoise colour, also seen in porcelain bottles with gold-painted lips and foot rims. The influence of imperial enamels on metal is common on Jingdezhen imperial ceramics from the Qianlong period onwards.

This stopper was made in China during the Republican period. Bottles of this type may not always have had matching stoppers. If the original had been of porcelain, it would probably have been one imitating coral on a gilt-bronze collar. The present one is undoubtedly a Ko replacement, as there are two more like it in the group acquired by Moss along with the last part of the collection (see again Sale 3, lot 132).

This is another of the bottles that may have come to the Ko Collection straight from the imperial collection (see Sale 3, lot 132) as it is again in extraordinary condition, without wear even to the gold enamel.