A FAMILLE-ROSE 'LADY' SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG – JIAQING PERIOD |

moulded in the form of a cheerful lady, depicted with her chin resting on one arm and her leg crossed, dressed in a lime-green tunic painted with bats and clouds and her pants gilt with floral sprays

Collection of John Ault (1923–2014).

Robert W. L. Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of John Ault, Hong Kong, 1990, pl. 135.

One of the popular figural moulds for snuff bottles of the mid-Qing period was of a reclining woman. This is perhaps the most popular form, but others are known. In practically every case, the foot of the extended leg forms the stopper, granting somewhat constrained access to the interior by way of the hollow leg. This model, despite its apparent innocence to the Western eye, would probably have been considered by the Chinese erotic. The bound feet of women in pre-modern China were considered erotic, because they were specific to women, embodied feminine charm and beauty, and were practically never seen. A closely related famille-rose 'lady' snuff bottle from the collection of Mary and George Bloch was sold in these rooms, 27th May 2013, lot 107.