A MOLDED AND ENAMELED SGRAFFIATO 'FIVE DRAGON' PORCELAIN SNUFF BOTTLE, 19TH CENTURY China. Of rounded rectangular form, rising from an oval foot to a cylindrical neck, finely painted in polychrome enamels and iron-red depicting five five-clawed dragons, one front-facing and two confronting dragons to one side and two sinuous side-facing dragons to the reverse, all amid flames and against a white ground with a neatly incised 'sgraffiato' pattern of undulating waves. The recessed base with a sixth dragon neatly painted in iron-red.

Provenance: From a private collection in Hessen, Germany, assembled before 2007.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and firing irregularities. The foot rim smoothened.

Stopper: Coral stopper with black platelet
Weight: 30.9 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 62 mm. Diameter neck 15 mm and mouth 6 mm

Expert's note: The enamels are exceptionally well preserved on the present snuff bottle, which is quite rare as snuff bottles were extensively handled by their owners leading to considerable wear to the enamels.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Remotely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 29 March 2006, lot 13
Price: USD 12,000 or approx. EUR 16,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare molded and enameled porcelain snuff bottle, Jingdezhen kilns, 1820-1880
Expert remark: Compare the related motif and wave ground. Note the bottle has a private collector's mark to the base and is executed in high relief, but lacks the rare 'Sgraffiato' design.


十九世紀堆塑暗紋粉彩“五龍飛天”鼻烟壺
中國。扁平壺，直頸，溜肩，橢圓圈足。粉彩繪製五條矯健的五爪雲龍，龍頭碩大，瞠目回望，鬃發後揚，氣勢磅礴。暗紋刻畫洶湧波濤。圈足内汎紅釉龍紋。

來源：德國黑森州私人收藏，購於2007年前。
品相：品相極好，有輕微磨損和燒製瑕疵。足部變得光滑。

壺蓋：珊瑚，黑色托片
重量：30.9 克
尺寸：高 （含蓋）62 毫米，頸部直徑15 毫米及壺口直徑6 毫米

專家注釋：此鼻烟壺上的琺瑯彩保存完好，實爲罕見。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：稍微相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2006年3月29日，lot 13
價格：USD 12,000（相當於今日EUR 16,500）
描述：1820-1880年景德鎮堆塑鼻烟壺
專家評論：比較相近的樣式和海浪地。請注意此鼻烟壺底部有浮刻私人收藏家標記，但缺少暗紋設計。