Lot 1110
Treasury 5, no. 964 (‘Mallow Miniature’)
HK$16,250

Semi-translucent dark olive-brown glass (appearing mostly as black in normal light), and pink glass with several small air bubbles, some elongated; with a flat lip and recessed convex foot surrounded by a protruding flattened foot rim; carved as a single overlay with an identical design on each main side of a formalized mallow flower
1790-1860
Height: 3.82 cm
Mouth/lip: 0.50/1.21 cm
Stopper: glass; vinyl collar

Provenance:
Unrecorded

Published:
Treasury 5, no. 964

This bottle falls into the same range of probable early-nineteenth-century miniatures as lot 1155 in the present auction. Like lot 1152 in this auction, a considerable number of tiny black flaws are apparent in the mix, which is pale and milky in colour.

Mallow-head bottles were, of course, a long-term staple of courtly production, whether at the imperial glassworks or not, because of the symbolism of loyalty to the emperor. Here, however, we find an intriguing departure from the normal style of carving. Although the formalization of the flower is standard, and the positioning of the flower-head represents one of the two usual versions, cutting through to the ground plane for the outer row of petals is a rare feature.

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.