A MILKY-WHITE GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

Collection of Arthur Gadsby. 
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2nd May 1991, lot 47. 

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. 683.

It is in overall good condition with the exception of two tiny nibbles in the outer footrim; one has been slightly polished. There are some burst air bubbles at the surface, one in the lip. There is also a minute chip, quarter of the way up from the base towards the left of one side.
"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 present bottle does not exhibit the crisp, sharp profile allowed and encouraged by the tools of the lapidary, but it is also carved. Details of lip and mouth have to be carved, after all, because removing the blow-iron leaves the vessel with an uneven lip and the inner neck will seldom be perfectly straight and cylindrical from the blowing process alone.

It is difficult to judge, however, to what extent this bottle has been formed primarily by the glassblower and his standard tools, by a mould, or by the lapidary. The rounded edges suggest that it is either freely blown and shaped in part on the marver (a smooth iron or marble surface on which the gather of glass can be manipulated) or blown into a mould. (In contrast, the crisp, even edges of the side faceting on Sale 4, lot 98, for instance, can have been achieved only by the lapidary.)

There is a distinctive dead-evenness to the white glass here to match its unusual form, and while it does not appear to be one of any standard group of white glass bottles, it closely resembles the glass made for Zhou Honglai 周鴻來 in the late Qing period (see Sale 4, lot 21, for a discussion of the possibility that Zhou’s blanks were made in Jiaxing 嘉興). It may be from late in the dynasty.