Lot 1163
Treasury 5, no.885 (‘A Little Longevity’)
HK$23,750

Transparent ruby-red and colourless glass, both with a few scattered small air bubbles; with a flat lip and recessed, slightly convex foot surrounded by a protruding rounded foot rim made up of elements of the design; carved as a single overlay with a continuous design of two chi dragons, one holding a lingzhi in its mouth and one biting the other’s tail
1760-1830
Height: 6.28 cm
Mouth/lip: 0.5/1.1 cm
Stopper: nephrite; vinyl collar

Provenance:
Hugh M. Moss Ltd., Hong Kong (1992)

Published:
Treasury 5, no.885

This and Sale 6, lot 182 are both small bottles, but they are linked to a greater extent by material and subject matter than style. Here the beasts, while of no great size, are extremely well composed and carved; indeed the only hint of a descent from the standards of the finest Qianlong workmanship is discernible in the slightly less-than-perfect ground plane, which undulates slightly, displaying traces of the carving tools. Without being certain of where bottles were made, we are wary of reading too much into a single feature such as this, but it does appear to indicate a slight lowering of standards. We have proposed that this decline began during the second half of the Qianlong period in a variety of palace arts, although not necessarily in the lapidary workshop, which retained its vitality after 1760 by virtue of the massive influx of raw material from the area that would eventually be given a new administrative status as Xinjiang province, and a concomitant renewal of enthusiasm for hardstone carving at court. The most likely date for this bottle is, again, the latter part of the eighteenth century, but an early nineteenth century date is also possible. Colour, style and subject matter, of course, suggest a provenance in the imperial glassworks, given the usual provisos.

This is not the Sotheby’s sale catalogue. This is a product of Hugh Moss for the purposes of this website. For the catalogue details please refer to Sotheby’s website or request a copy of a printed sale catalogue from Sotheby’s.