66 - AN OCTAGONAL FACETED GREEN GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE

AN OCTAGONAL FACETED GREEN GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE IMPERIAL WORKSHOPS, BEIJING, 1700-1820 To Be Sold Without Reserve Of compressed horizontal ovoid form with a tall cylindrical neck, flat lip and flat, rectangular foot, the body faceted overall, the sides each with a convex raised panel with four facets meeting in a point at the centre, set on an octagonal profile defined by rectangular side, neck and base panels, the last forming the foot Height: 3.4cm Provenance: Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd, 22nd October 2007, (a copy of the original invoice available) This is one of a large series of octagonal faceted glass bottles made at the court for distribution by the Qing Emperors as gifts to officials, scholars, military men and other worthies on specific occasions each year. The faceting arose out of the influence of the Bavarian Kilian Stumpf who set up the Imperial glassworks in 1696, and became a popular form of decoration for glass bottles, and other wares, throughout the dynasty. Because they were so frequently distributed as gifts, they were symbols of honour and were frequently buried with Qing snuff-takers This jasper green colour, perhaps inspired by the natural stone, but equally likely just another possible glass colour, is among the rarer ones found in Palace faceted octagonal snuff bottles of the eighteenth century. It does not appear to have been produced at all during the 19th century A great many bottles have come out of tombs around Beijing in the past decades, as the city expands more tombs are being uncovered. They contain a great many glass bottles, but also, of course, other types. It is just that the glass bottles show more obvious signs of burial as they are affected by contact with damp soil for so long. They are, as a rule, and as in this case, usually polished after coming out of the tomb, as they have lost their surface gloss from long burial, but in this case traces of the original iridescence have been intact. The foot and lip, however, are usually and wisely left cleaned, but unpolished so as not to obscure the original extent of wear on the bottle before it was buried Ω This Lot was imported from outside of the UK, under the Temporary Admission regime 5% import VAT will be charged on the ‘hammer” and 20% VAT will be charged on the ‘buyer’s premium