AN IMPERIAL FAMILLE ROSE ‘BOYS AT PLAY’ PORCELAIN SNUFF BOTTLE, DAOGUANG MARK AND PERIODChina, Jingdezhen kilns, 1821-1850. Of flattened globular form, rising from an oval foot ring, surmounted by a cylindrical neck, finely enameled, and picked out in gilt and iron-red. Each side depicting a scene with eight boys playing, some boys holding twigs, flowers, a scepter, brush, and Buddhist emblems on poles, and each dressed in fine robes with ornamental designs. The recessed base with an iron-red four-character markDaoguang nianzhi and of the period.Provenance: From an Austrian private collection, assembled prior to 1990.Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, mostly to the iron-red and gilt, few small nicks, and minuscule chips to the foot. The stopper with minor nibbling.Stopper: CarnelianWeight: 39.2 gDimensions: Height including stopper 66 mm. Diameter neck 17 mm and mouth 7 mm.The number eight is believed to be one of the luckiest numbers in China since it is associated with wealth. ‘Eight’ in Chinese is pronounced ‘ba’ and sounds similar to ‘fa’ as in ‘facai’, meaning ‘well-off’ or ‘bing rich in a short time’. The subject of boys or children was very popular in decorative arts of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Together with the number eight the motif of boys may represent a wish for an abundance of offspring and wealth.Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Sotheby’s London, 18 May 2018, lot 388Price: GBP 2,375 or approx.EUR 3,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A famille-rose enameled porcelain snuff bottle, Daoguang seal mark and period (1821-1850)Expert remark:pare the closely related form and motif. Note the missing gilt accents, the lower quality of the painting, and the slightly smaller size (55 mm).道光款及年代粉彩嬰戲圖鼻煙壺中國，景德鎮，1821-1850年。直頸，扁平圓形壺身，橢圓形圈足。精美的琺瑯，描金和礬紅彩勾勒。每面描繪八個男孩玩耍的場景，一些男孩手持樹枝、鮮花、毛筆和佛徽；童子們都穿著精美衣袍。圈足内礬紅彩“道光年製”四字款。