清嘉慶 粉彩浮雕「春宮」圖鼻煙壺

John Gilmore Ford，1980年
Belfort 收藏，1986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1218

The guilding is partially worn from the lip and around the footrim. Some tiny dimples in the glaze, one slightly large at the tip of one palm leaf. A miniscule chip in the red enamel on the fencing and one other small area.
"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 bottle is inspired by imperial moulded porcelain bottles, but is not particularly associated with any known imperial example and may be a private product. Many unmarked bottles might be imperial in cases where we know of bottles from the same moulds or of the same style and quality that bear reign marks, but in the case of erotic bottles like this there are no precise equivalents among imperial, reign-marked examples. This one, for instance, is unusually small for a Jiaqing moulded porcelain, and the gold ground, common to this group, does not seem as popular on known imperial bottles.

Imperial or not, the erotic activities, now removed to the garden of a private household or estate, are on a more imperial scale. Two men are outnumbered by seven women who do not appear to be even slightly inhibited by their open-air setting. The less said about the woman indelicately posed on the garden swing, the better (although we recommend you do not try this at home), but she does help one to identify another bottle from the Bragge Album. If the drawing there is at all accurate, the Bragge bottle comes from a different mould, but the careful repositioning of the heel of the woman and enlargement of the cloak being shed by the man are likely to reflect quaint Victorian modesty rather than a difference in the bottle that exposed itself to the artist.

Another interesting insight into the production process of these moulded porcelain bottles is afforded by a bottle from the same mould that has been made to look quite different by the enameller (Unique Art Auction, Taipei, 23 October 1999, lot 800). Apart from changing the ground colour to a pale turquoise, the enameller has transformed all the foliage that appears here into a series of peaches. Another from the same mould, and of the same colouring as the present example, was in Christie’s London, 5th December 1994, lot 412. Others not from the same mould but of the same design were in the Ko Collection (Christie’s London, 8th November 1976, lot 43), and Christie’s New York, 2nd June 1994, lot 436. Astonishingly, the Bragge and Ko bottles have, like the present example, attracted exuberant, atypical stoppers for moulded snuff bottles of this shape, perhaps with the shared aim of diverting attention from the activities depicted.