A MOLDED FAMILLE VERTE PORCELAIN 'CONJOINED FISH' SNUFF BOTTLE, 1800-1870 China, Jingdezhen. Finely molded and painted in bright enamels in the form of two conjoined fish rising from formalized waves, their two mouths joined as one to form the opening of the bottle.

Provenance: Robert Hall, London, 1994. A noted Swiss private collection, by repute acquired from the above. The spoon with an inventory number '4888'. Robert Hall is one of the leading dealers of Chinese Snuff Bottles. He has played a vital role in the formation of many of the world's great collections, including the Mary and George Bloch Collection. His wide knowledge of the subject has enabled him to produce numerous publications and articles, such as his series Chinese Snuff Bottles I to XVI (1987-2011).
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and firing irregularities, the foot with a minuscule touchup.

Stopper: Jasper with carved spoon
Weight: 42.3 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 80 mm. Diameter neck 14 mm and mouth 6 mm

Fish appeared as decoration on Chinese ceramics as early as the Neolithic period, and have remained a popular theme in Chinese art, especially ceramics and paintings, ever since. Vessels made in the form of fish, especially two confronted fish, were popular during the Tang dynasty and again in the 18th century. Much of the popularity of fish as a decorative theme, especially in later dynasties, hinges on the fact that the word for fish (yu) is a homophone for the word for abundance, and the word for carp (li) a homophone for the word for profit.

Literature comparison:
A nearly identical bottle is illustrated by Moss, Graham, Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, The Mary and George Bloch Collection, Volume 6, Part 2, Hong Kong, 2008, p. 730, no. 1337.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Near identical
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 November 2011, lot 72
Price: HKD 62,500 or approx. EUR 10,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A molded 'famille verte' porcelain 'conjoined fish' snuff bottle, Jingdezhen, 1821-1870



1800-1870年陶瓷模塑雙魚鼻烟壺
中國，景德鎮。壺形如雙魚連體，兩張嘴合為一個，形成鼻烟壺的壺口。魚頭汎紅地，魚身淺綠色地，魚鱗和鰭畫以黑線，壺足飾波濤。

來源：倫敦Robert Hall，1994年；瑞士知名私人收藏，據説購於Robert Hall處。小勺上有收藏編號“4888”。Robert Hall是中國鼻烟壺的主要經銷商之一。他在世界上許多大收藏的構建中發揮了至關重要的作用，包括Mary 與George Bloch收藏。他對鼻烟壺十分了解並發表許多書籍和文章，例如他的中國鼻烟壺系列一至十五 (1987-2011年)。
品相：品相極好，有磨損和燒製瑕疵，足部有微小的修飾。

壺蓋：碧玉，小勺
重量：42.3 克
尺寸：高 （含蓋）80 毫米，頸部直徑14 毫米及壺口直徑6 毫米

魚早在新石器時代就出現在中國陶器上，一直是中國藝術，尤其是陶瓷和繪畫的備受推崇的主題。以魚形製成的器皿，尤其是兩條相對的魚，在唐代和十八世紀都很流行。而其原因是魚與餘同音，故魚象徵富足有餘。

文獻比較：
一件幾乎相同的鼻烟壺，見Hugh Moss、Victor Graham 和曾嘉寶，《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》，卷六，第二部分，香港，2008年，頁730，編號1337。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：幾乎相同
拍賣：香港邦瀚斯，2011年11月28日，lot 72
價格：HKD 62,500（相當於今日EUR 10,500）
描述：1821-1870年景德鎮瓷胎模製雙魚形鼻煙壺