151 - AN IRON-RED DECORATED ‘FIVE-CLAWED DRAGON AND GOLDFISH’ PORCELAIN SNUFF BOTTLE JINGDEZHEN, 1830-1860

AN IRON-RED DECORATED ‘FIVE-CLAWED DRAGON AND GOLDFISH’ PORCELAIN SNUFF BOTTLE JINGDEZHEN, 1830-1860 To Be Sold Without Reserve Of compressed ‘pocket watch’ shape, with a raised, convex panel on each side set in a fluted frame, with a cylindrical neck, wide mouth, rounded lip and no foot, painted on each side, framed in a gold band edged in iron-red, with a raised panel, on one side with five imperial dragons with five-claws on each foot, all chasing a single flaming pearl, and set amidst formalized flames, and on the other with five fan-tailed goldfish, the eyes of all the creatures picked out in black, the rest in iron-red enamel Height: 5.8cm Provenance: Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd, 11th May 2000, (a copy of the original invoice available) At some time during the late Qianlong period, European watches, so popular at Court, inspired the production of porcelain snuff bottles. An early Qianlong version had an octagonal profile with raised convex panels, similar to the sort of shape that inspired glass and other bottles from the Palace workshops, but a later, nineteenth century version, is of this compressed spherical form with raised convex panels on either main side. These are known with watch-faces painted on them to simulate the original (see, for instance, Robert W. L. Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, no. 221 - listed as Qianlong period, but only very late in the reign if at all, and more likely to be Jiaqing or early Daoguang). The shape soon took on a life of its own for the production of a series of mid-nineteenth century bottles with no apparent connection to European watches other than the form. This is one of a small group known with dragons and fish, the former being Imperial dragons with five claws, and the latter standing for prosperity. This example is as good as they come of this group, and in extraordinary condition for this very weak enamel 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