清十八 / 十九世紀 涅白地套四色料「瑞果」紋鋪首耳鼻煙壺

倫敦蘇富比1990年6月7日，編號19

Hugh Moss、Victor Graham 及曾嘉寶，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，卷5，香港，2002年，編號982

Note: the original jadeite cabochon on the stopper illustrated in Treasury 5, has been replaced with another similar stone. A minute chip to the outer lip, or possibly an air bubble burst to the surface.
"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 three fruits depicted on this snuff bottle symbolise the Three Abundances (sanduo 三多), which are many happiness or blessings (duo fu 多福), many years of life (duo shou 多壽) and many male offspring (duo zi多子).

The typically courtly mask handles may indicate an imperial bottle, and the generally auspicious nature of the symbolism is in keeping with a vast amount of courtly production.

The milky ground is revealed at the lip to have separated out slightly, leaving a hint of a more transparent layer, which is undoubtedly spontaneous but resembles deliberate sandwiching. This, together with the streaky glass and naturalistic foot rim, links it to a relatively large group with courtly connections that seems to date from the Qianlong period (see, for instance, Sale 2, lot 146; Sale 5, lot 97; and Sale 6, lot 245) but may continue into the early nineteenth century. Unusual here are the bluish tone of the emerald-green glass from which the peach bough is carved and the intensity of the sapphire-blue of the handles—although such variations are typical of the group as a whole. The carving is very crisp, displaying a good level of control, and the integrity of the ground plane reasonably good.