清十八 / 十九世紀 瓷胎畫琺瑯圓形開光鏤雕「鯉躍龍門」圖鼻煙壺

克拉德收藏
Hugh Moss Ltd.，香港，1998年

Hugh Moss、Victor Graham 及曾嘉寶，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，卷6，香港，2007年，編號1239

Slight nibbling to one side of the lip and a small flake/chip from the outer lip. Minor wear to the iron red enamelling, seen more so on one side below the eyes and gills of the fish. One dot of green enamel present on the same fish.
"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."

This is another of the rare bottles from the Ko Collection acquired by the Blochs. One other example of this model is illustrated in Chinese Snuff Bottles and Dishes, no. 74; its existence leads one to expect that more were originally made. This bottle was probably a part of the trend towards fanciful moulds and double bodies in the Jiaqing period. These double-bodied bottles, considerably more complicated to produce than a standard form, seem to have been in fashion during the last decade of the eighteenth century, becoming very popular for the first time during the Jiaqing period, which is a likely date for this one. The mode continued into the mid-nineteenth century and was represented notably in a series of bottles by Wang Bingrong (see Sale 1, lot 112; Sale 2, lot 102; and Sale 3, lot 17). The idea comes originally from a series of technically astonishing porcelain vessels of the earlier Qianlong reign that had double bodies, often with movable interior segments.

Apart from its small size, thin potting, and extreme delicacy, this bottle has an unusually dynamic design, helped of course by the decorative potential provided by reticulation. No artist or designer could fail to be creatively energized by a new technique for the art form that opened up so many possibilities for the rejuvenation of long-established ideas. With the reticulation, a totally contrasting ground plane was added behind the cut-out designs, offering a mysterious, partially hidden, inner surface over which light would play as the bottle was moved in the hand. The design of turbulent waves makes full use of this play of light to set off the powerful design of the leaping carp, further emphasized by its iron-red colouring. To make the most of this simple composition, the artist has chosen to use only four enamel colours: predominantly red and green, but with black and white details. (The white enamel is barely distinguishable from the white ground of the glazed porcelain unless examined very closely.)

This bottle does not fit into imperial production in any specific way; it is more likely to be a rare masterpiece from the burgeoning private production at Jingdezhen in the mid-Qing period.