清十八世紀 黃玉光素鼻煙壺

台北寒舍
Hugh M. Moss Ltd.，香港，1992年

Hugh Moss、Victor Graham 及曾嘉寶，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，卷1，香港，1996年，編號75

Barely perceptible nibble to the outer lip. Otherwise, good condition.
"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 hollowing of this bottle, adequate but not extensive and combined with a very wide mouth, is often found on nephrite bottles attributable to the palace workshops at Beijing. The combination of a wide mouth and merely adequate hollowing may stem from a variety of possible functional considerations. From a practical point of view, it would obviously be easier to achieve any sort of hollowing through a wide mouth. In bottles made for the court, for the emperor, or as gifts for high officials, large capacity would have been unnecessary. Such wealthy and powerful individuals probably had vast quantities of snuff bottles and servants constantly on hand to re-fill them, so merely adequate hollowing would be perfectly functional for court life.

The heavy foot area might also have been stabilizing for a bottle which was intended for display. On a significant number of nephrite bottles of the eighteenth century that are attributable to the court, the hollowing is concentrated in the upper area of the available form. This gives the bottle greater stability, adding further weight at the base and lowering the centre of gravity. From the evidence of the massive collection of snuff bottles confiscated in 1799 from Heshen 和珅 (1750 – 1799), the notoriously corrupt favourite of the Qianlong emperor, it can be inferred that  powerful courtiers often amassed large individual collections. The wealthy would almost certainly have reached a stage where fine bottles full of tightly corked snuff stood waiting around the house. A wealthy official might have dozens of rooms, the emperor and his family, hundreds, in which a snuff bottle could be kept conveniently standing on a table or a shelf. Being small and often fragile, such bottles would survive longer if they were stable. This example is extremely solid. A gentle knock that would send a conventional bottle crashing merely rocks this one.

Where the form allowed, the palace workshops seem to have favoured a distinct flattened upper neck rim or lip. This detail is seen here and on Sale 6, lot 174 and Sale 7, lot 36, among others.

The brown staining here is an interesting lesson in judging stained nephrite. There is no doubt that this example is stained, since the colour is cut through at the foot rim, presumably to remove a tiny chip (a hint of which is still visible in the brown section). Where the stain was added and the depth to which it penetrated the material are both clearly visible. The stain was added to a section of the yellow nephrite that was somewhat drab, having a more opaque, creamy-beige colouring. Where the staining is not worn, around the outer and inner foot rim, it is very natural looking, raising the possibility that a great deal of Qing nephrite with brown skin may have been enhanced by staining so successfully that it has not been noticed. It is easy to see the appeal of the brown staining in combination with yellow nephrite. It is still very attractive even where softened by wear around the main body of the bottle, but around the foot, where the original richness of the russet brown stain is visible, it creates a stunning contrast and a powerful abstract pattern to enhance the inherent cultural resonance of pebble nephrite.