43 - A BEIGE AND BROWN YIXING STONEWARE SNUFF BOTTLE1780-1850

A BEIGE AND BROWN YIXING STONEWARE SNUFF BOTTLE1780-1850 To Be Sold Without Reserve Of flattened, quatrefoil shape with a cylindrical neck, decorated with a recessed foliate panel, one with peonies growing from a rocky ground, the other with lotus growing in a pond beyond a foreshore, with one leaf, one pod and one flower among aquatic grasses, the narrow sides each with tapering rectangular panels, one with orchids, the other with lingzhi, a corresponding shoulder panel with two impressed single-unit leiwen designs, the interior enamelled in white Height: 5.7cm Provenance: Jade House, Hong Kong The Lawrence and Florence Bier Collection (no. 190) Sotheby’s, New York, 23rd March 2004, lot 275 Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd, 30th August 2005, (a copy of the original invoice available) From the late-eighteenth century onwards, the Yixing potteries began to produce a group of snuff bottles, probably mostly from one workshop, among which was a group of related slip-decorated wares of high quality all, apparently, by one hand. The most famous of them is the one made for an unspecified Emperor but either the Qianlong, Jiaqing, or Daoguang Emperor and, most likely, one of the first two (see Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, no. 253, where nos. 252 and 255 are by the same hand). For another bottle of this form, see Bob C. Stevens, The Collector’s Book of Snuff Bottles, no. 325. This unusual form is also combined with an unusual subject for the group, combining lotus, with its varied symbolism of harmony, purity, Buddhism, etc., the peonies for wealth, the orchids representing the gentleman and the lingzhi longevity and the mystical realm of the immortals Ω This Lot was imported outside of the UK, under the Temporary Admission scheme. 5% import VAT will be charged on the ‘hammer’ price and 20% VAT will be charged on the ‘buyer’s premium’. If proof of export outside of the UK can be provided for this item within 3 months of the sale date, then the VAT can be refunded. Please contact us for further details and shipping advice