A TURQUOISE GLASS SNUFF BOTTLEPossibly imperial, attributed to the Palace Workshops, Beijing, 1750-1800 Of tapered, meiping form with shoulders sloping to a waisted neck with flared mouth, and with a neatly carved circular footrim, of vivid turquoise color, carved with eight convex, petal lappet panels running from the shoulder to the foot; stopper. 2 1/2in (6.2cm) high 1750-1800 松石藍料八棱鼻煙壺一件 或為御製，亦或為北京宮廷作坊製 Provenance: Acquired August 1996 Joan and Ted Dorf Collection, no. 258 This bottle is taken from a classical meiping ceramic shape to which the technique of faceting has been added. The resulting form, however, does not look forced and the bottle imparts an agreeable charm. Turquoise has been valued as a precious stone in many different cultures including China. It was transported along the Silk Road with other precious stones such as malachite. The Chinese have mined turquoise domestically for more than three thousand years, since at least the Shang dynasty. In later times, Marco Polo reported that turquoise could be found in what is today known as Sichuan province.