Lot 1113
Treasury 5, no.926 (‘Doubtful Ducks’)
HK$81,250

Transparent sapphire-blue and colourless glass, suffused with air bubbles of various sizes, some large and elongated; with a flat lip and deeply recessed flat foot surrounded by a foot rim made up of elements of the design; carved as a single overlay with a continuous design of three geese in a lotus pond, the water carved as formalized waves
1730-1780
Height: 5.43 cm
Mouth/lip: 0.92/1.39 cm
Stopper: tourmaline; vinyl collar

Provenance:
Yung Feng, Hong Kong (1985)

Published:
Kleiner 1987, no. 97
Treasury 5, no.926

Exhibited:
Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, October 1987
Creditanstalt, Vienna, May-June 1993

This represents a rare blue version of the red overlay of lot 1049 in the present auction. Rather more understated than the red-overlay example, it is nevertheless impeccably well conceived and carved. Sale 7, lot 93 is a green overlay bottle that is obviously related but features a different main theme. This is also part of the large group we suggest are all in some way related, and probably date from the Qianlong period (see Sale 2, lot 69). In common with most bottles comprising this sub-group, this is carved with exceptionally deep overlay and displays masterly well-rounded, perfectly finished carving. An unusual feature, however, is provided by the blue overlay, since the most common colour is red, with green the next most common.

This bottle includes the lovely formalized vortex forming the base that is repeated on several examples from the group. This appears on lot 1049 in the present auction, the entire foot is devoted to the pattern, while here the vortex is incised to form a recessed foot and allow a naturalistic foot rim.

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.