A WHITE JADE ‘CHILONG’ SNUFF BOTTLE, POSSIBLY PALACE WORKSHOPS, QIANLONG / JIAQING PERIODWhite jade of outstanding purity, with exception of one tiny russet vein, which has been masterfully integrated into the carving, good and smooth surface polish. China, 18th – earlier 19th centuryCarved in low relief with a circumferential depiction of a Chilong chasing a flying bat.This snuff bottle shows a few imperial features that support a tentative attribution to the Palace workshops: It is adequately but not painstakingly hollowed through a wide mouth. It retains its likely original glass stopper of typical Beijing shape. Chilong were particularly popular in court decoration during the Qing dynasty, and especially so during the Qianlong period, and are rarely found as primary decoration outside of Beijing.Shape: Flattened tapering formHollowing: GoodMouth, neck and lip: Wide mouth, short tapering cylindric neckBase: Oval, convex with flat rimDesign, marks, school: Possibly imperial palace workshopsStopper: Carved pink glass in imitation of tourmaline, in typical Beijing shape, on a green organic plateletHeight of the bottle with stopper: 6.8 cm.Width of the mouth: 8 mm.Width of the neck: 17 mm.Condition: Excellent, with one smoothened imperfection in the material on the lip (likely original), and some old wearProvenance: Old Austrian private collection, acquired before 1930, thence by descent, thence by descent, collector number “3834” inscribed to bottomLiterature comparison: Snuff Bottles from the Mary and George Bloch Collection: Part VI. Sotheby’s, Hong Kong, May 27th, 2013, lot 121 and 196. (for two related white jade bottles, both carved with Chilong) A Collecting Legacy: Fine Chinese Jade Carvings and Works of Art from the Lizzadro Collection, Part II. Christie’s, New York, September 19th, 2013, lot 1224. (for another white jade bottle with carved Qilong)白玉“螭龍紋”鼻烟壺，可能為乾隆御製品相極好, 唇部有一個光滑的缺口（可能為原始缺口），局部一些舊磨損奧地利私人老收藏，1930年前購入，家族傳承, 瓶底有藏家編號“3834”字樣