A BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN 'DOUBLE PHOENIX' SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY

Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., 1991.

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. 1282.

There are a few original firing lines to the unglazed footring and the base (max of approx. 0.7 cm). There are also expected surface scratches from use and a tiny glaze flake to the pearl between the two phoenix.
"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 design on this unique blue-and-white bottle is intriguing. The nature of the two birds is not in doubt, nor of the sun, since the slightly adumbrated character at its centre labels it as such. How one ought to view the design is quite another matter. If one interprets the centre of the design as the sun, with the birds symmetrically placed on either side of it, it leaves one with a view of only the feathered rear ends of the two imperial birds, which is hardly appropriate. The opposite view, turning the bottle through one hundred and eighty degrees, thus leaves one with nothing more than the view of a couple of wings.

The best view is of each bird separately, and that may have been the intention. When the viewer concentrates on one bird at a time, the entire creature is visible, with the sun off to one side. This follows a trend well established by the Kangxi period in ceramics of uncompressed forms decorated with dragons being carefully designed so that from one view the entire dragon is visible. Perhaps the same design concept is in play here. It is an extremely rare design with only one other example recorded, an almost identical bottle was offered by Hong Kong Auctioneers & Estate Agency, 12 June 1993, lot 298.

The fenghuang, often associated with the empress and used on a wide range of imperial wedding crockery, suggests the possibility of an imperial product, and so the lack of borders may indicate an imperial style from the mid-Qing period, but it is also a feature of many later-nineteenth century bottles from Jingdezhen for a popular market.

The colour here is as vibrant a cobalt-blue as any known.