A superb and rare seven-colour overlay glass snuff bottle


Imperial, Palace Workshops, Beijing, 18th/19th centuryOf flattened rounded spade form, brilliantly and finely carved through overlays of pink, blue, yellow, red, turquoise, pale pinkish yellow and deep green to depict a continuous design of flowering plum blossoms, peonies, magnolia and lotus growing from leafy branches in a weave basket with rope twist edges, all on a bubble-suffused ground, pink tourmaline stopper with a gilt-metal collar. 6.5cm (2 1/2in) high. (2).
|清宮造辦處玻璃廠 北京 十八/十九世紀霏雪地套七彩玻璃花籃紋鼻煙壺Provenance:Sotheby's Hong Kong, Eric Young Collection Part IV, 28 October 1993, lot 1035A distinguished Asian private collectionExhibited:On loan to the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore, 1996-2002Published and Illustrated:Sotheby's Thirty Years in Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2003, p.379, no.464來源：香港蘇富比，《Eric Young收藏第四部分》，1993年10月28日，拍品編號1035亞洲顯赫私人收藏展覽：1996至2002年借展於新加坡亞洲文明博物館出版及著錄：《香港蘇富比三十週年》，香港，2003年，頁379，編號464This snuff bottle epitomises much of the finest technical and stylistic achievements in snuff bottle production during the mid Qing dynasty. From the outstanding ground plane that exhibits fine control, complemented by the extraordinary quality of the precise and elaborate carving, to the well-composed and vivid design, as well as the brilliant and unusual use of seven bright colour overlays, all indicative of production for the Qing Court. Furthermore, ropework borders as in the present lot, often appear on items produced in the Palace Workshops, further indicating its Imperial origin.The depiction of a basket full of flowers was a popular Palace subject in snuff bottle production made by the Imperial Palace Workshops particularly during the 18th century. The depiction of the plum blossom represents the wish for numerous descendents, deriving from the expression hongmei duozi 紅梅多子 (the red prunus bears numerous fruit); the lotus flower, lian 蓮, represent purity and marriage; the peony is a symbol of wealth and honour, while magnolia represents purity. In addition, the basket, lan 籃, could stand for male (nan 男) children. Thus the snuff bottles is imbued with many auspicious wishes.It is very rare to find a snuff bottle of this subject with seven overlays. For related glass snuff bottles decorated with the same subject, see a yellow glass example, attributed to the Imperial Glassworks, Beijing, 1760-1800, illustrated by H.Moss, V.Graham and K.B.Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol.5, Hong Kong, 2002, no.953, which was later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 27 May 2013, lot 162; and see a blue glass overlay example, 1740-1780, ibid., no.925, which was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 25 May 2011, lot 80. Compare also stylistically to a six-colour overlay 'lotus pond' snuff bottle, Qianlong, illustrated in ibid., no.990, which was later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 27 May 2013, lot 249.It is interesting to note that the shape and decoration of the current bottle can be closely related to an Imperial enamelled glass 'flower basket' snuff bottle, Palace Workshops, Qianlong blue enamel yuzhi mark and period, illustrated by R.Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Hong Kong, 1987, p.25, no.23, which was later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 27 May 2013, lot 238. It is possible that the present bottle is a development of the enamelled glass examples where the enamelled glass versions continued into the 1770s, and possibly beyond, suggesting the continued popularity of this subject well into the late Qianlong period; for a further discussion, see H.Moss, ibid., vol.5, pp.529-530.短頸，圓肩，瓶身以白料為地，其上再套綠料，成花籃狀，藍中所插花卉以多色玻璃料套之，包括鵝黃、桃粉、寶石藍、玫瑰紅及石青諸色，方寸之地，套色繁複，而成形亦生動，巧奪天工矣。配紅碧璽蓋。本件鼻煙壺精工巧絕，其套色之複雜，成形之準確，代表了十八世紀清宮造辦處玻璃廠的最高水準。特別是花籃部分絞紐效果，亦常出現在清宮其他卓越藝術品上，是為御製無疑。十八世紀以來，清宮流行花籃裝飾，即花團錦簇，鼻煙壺上多以此為飾。籃中花卉各有吉祥寓意，紅梅多子，並蒂蓮寓意夫妻和諧，牡丹富貴，籃則諧音男，寓意男丁興旺。小小鼻煙壺寓意豐富，亦是當時好尚。相似之例頗為少見，惟可比較一件黃料鼻煙壺，據傳為乾隆晚期清宮舊製，見莫士撝及曾嘉寶著，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，卷5，香港，2002年，編號953，後售於香港蘇富比，2013年5月27日，拍品編號162；另可比較一件乾隆中期藍料套料鼻煙壺，見前書，編號925，後售於香港邦瀚斯，2011年5月25日，拍品編號80。其風格可比較一件乾隆六色套料鼻煙壺，2013年5月27日售於香港蘇富比，拍品編號249。花籃之飾可比較一件御製料胎畫琺瑯鼻煙壺，「乾隆御製」款，見康蕊君著，《Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch》，香港，1987年，頁25，編號23，後售於香港蘇富比，2013年5月27日，拍品編號238。本件鼻煙壺之裝飾或許便是來源於料胎畫琺瑯之制，隨後這一風格延續至晚清，相關探討可見莫士撝著前書，頁529-530。