清十八 / 十九世紀 透明寶石紅料瓜棱形鼻煙壺

Gerd Lester

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768

Tiny scratches to the foot. Elongated indentations in each lobe, varying position and size.
"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."

Swirling and the bubble structure in the glass, together with the relatively light weight of the bottle, indicate that this unusual fruit-form bottle was initially blown. The detailing of the fruit, however, has obviously been carried out by the lapidary, as is evident from the paler colour of the ruby-red glass where vertical grooves are cut into the even thickness of the walls. Had these exterior depressions been formed by a mould, they would have been matched to some extent by raised lines on the inside. Further confirmation is provided by obvious evidence of the use of a cutting tool.

The glass is somewhat swirled and variegated in colour, which may be an indication of an early eighteenth century date. Its colour might indicate production at the imperial glassworks. Whenever and wherever it was made, it is a striking bottle, of a lovely form made even more attractive by its very rare, and presumably original, matching glass stopper. We have no idea how many bottles would have been made with matching glass tops, but we suspect they would have been very few. A stopper of matching material would be most unsuitable for bottles of a normal shape, and indeed all the evidence suggests they were originally fitted with a contrasting stopper. In the case of fruit- and vegetable-forms, however, they are much more appropriate, and it is likely that other examples may once have had matching stoppers. There may also have been exceptions with the more standard shapes of neck.

The spoon in this example looks as if it might be the original and, if so, confirms that the customary length of the spoon was such that it reached to within a few millimetres of the bottom of the bottle, the most practical option for retrieving snuff and occasionally dislodging clumps of the stuff.