211 - A BRONZE AND SILVER INLAID ‘DRAGON AND FENGHUANG’ SNUFF BOTTLE THREE-CHARACTER QIANLONG MARK AND OF THE PERIOD, 1779-1799

A BRONZE AND SILVER INLAID ‘DRAGON AND FENGHUANG’ SNUFF BOTTLE THREE-CHARACTER QIANLONG MARK AND OF THE PERIOD, 1779-1799 To Be Sold Without Reserve Of compressed ovoid form with a cylindrical neck, flat lip and recessed, flat oval foot surrounded by a protruding, convex oval foot rim, inlaid in silver wire with a continuous design of clouds with a three-clawed dragon on one side and a Fenghuang above a beribboned ruyi sceptre on the other, the neck with a single band of continuous leiwen, the foot inlaid with a three-character mark Qianlong nian (Qianlong period) in regular script 1779-1799 Height: 6.3cm For a discussion on this bottle, see Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, Vol. 1, no. 263. The style follows that of the known inlaid bronze bottles from the eighteenth century. There is a folk-like charm to the decoration here which sets it apart from some other inlaid metal wares of the Qianlong period. Although by the mid-Qing period, most inlaid silver-wire wares tended to refer to the legendary late Ming metal worker, Shisou, who popularized this art form so successfully. For another wire-inlaid, late-Qianlong example, see the figural panel on a silver-inlaid copper bottle illustrated in Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, Vol. 1, no. 262. While the mark on the base is an extremely unusual three-character one, the late Qianlong reign saw the occasional use of several strange variants, including two and three-character marks, and even a mark noting the Qing dynasty, but no particular reign Provenance: Sotheby’s, London, 9th June 1981, lot 74 Hugh M. Moss Ltd The J & J Collection Christie’s, New York, 22nd March 2007, lot 44 Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd, 17th September 2008, (a copy of the original invoice available) Literature: Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, Vol. 1, no. 263 Exhibited: Christie’s, New York, 1993 Empress Place Museum, Singapore, 1994 Museum für Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt, 1996-1997 Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1997 Naples Museum of Art, Florida, 2002 Portland Museum of Art, Oregon, 2002 National Museum of History, Taipei, 2002 International Asian Art Fair, Seventh Regiment Armory, New York, 2003 Poly Art Museum, Beijing, 2003 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