AN 'IMITATION TOURMALINE' GLASS 'CELESTIAL EYE' SNUFF BOTTLE, POSSIBLY IMPERIAL, 1770-1850 China. Carved in a shape of a pebble with a celestial eye goldfish wrapping around one side, its mouth issuing vapor. The bubble suffused glass of transparent pale green tone with raspberry-red swirls suggestive of bi-colored tourmaline.

Provenance: From a South German private collection, assembled since the 1980s.
Condition: Good condition with minor old wear and some manufacturing flaws, including open bubbles, and small imperfections here and there, few minuscule nicks, some possibly smoothened.

Stopper: Silver set coral stopper
Weight: 23.2 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 50 mm. Diameter mouth 6 mm

Carved from a solid block of material, rather than blown, suggests that this bottle was intended as an imitation of a hardstone, since carving from blocks leaves the material with greater weight than is usual for a blown glass bottle. The Palace workshops apparently produced a series of works in imitation of various stones during the mid-Qing period which was carved from solid blocks of glass. Many of these imitate beryl, or its blue variety, aquamarine, or tourmaline, which in its green form can closely resemble beryl, and others imitate quartz (such as crystal, amethyst, and agate).

Celestial eye goldfish or Choutengan is a double-tailed breed of fancy goldfish that has a defining pair of telescope eyes which are turned upwards, pupils gazing skyward. Celestial eye goldfish in a pond were a popular motif during the Qing dynasty.



1770-1850年仿碧璽雕金魚鼻烟壺，或爲御製
中國。小山子形，壺身一面雕刻金魚，雕刻精美。 透明淡綠色調的琉璃，混合著莓紅色紋理，如雙色碧璽。

來源：德國南部私人收藏，上世紀八十年代起開始組建。
品相：狀況良好，有輕微的磨損和一些製造缺陷，包括開放的氣泡，以及各處的小瑕疵，少量微小的劃痕。

壺蓋：珊瑚包銀托片
重量：23.2 克
尺寸：總高50 毫米，口部直徑6 毫米

此鼻烟壺模仿碧璽。清宮鼻烟壺作坊制作了一系列仿各種晶石的作品，如許多綠柱石或其藍色品種、海藍寶石或碧璽，以及水晶與瑪瑙，這些石料都可用琉璃雕製。

大眼金魚大眼向上，注視著天空，是清代非常流行的吉祥圖案