Lot 84
Treasury 5, no. 967 (‘Azure Skies’)
HK$18,750

Opaque cinnabar-red glass and translucent turquoise-blue glass; with a flat lip and recessed, slightly convex foot surrounded by a protruding flat foot rim; carved as a single overlay with a continuous, rocky riverscape with a pine tree growing from a rocky promontory, a man punting a boat, and another fishing from a rocky ledge nearby, a single, formalized wisp of cloud above
1790 – 1880
Height: 7.94 cm
Mouth/lip: 0.79/1.40 cm
Stopper: tourmaline; vinyl collar

Provenance:  
Robert Hall (1993)

Published:
Treasury 5, no. 967

Cinnabar-red on turquoise was among the colour combinations that became fashionable during the mid-Qing period. The cylindrical form, relatively rare in glass overlay, was obviously inspired by the massive mid-Qing production of porcelain bottles of similar shapes. Even in the absence of this formal evidence, however, we would confidently date this bottle to the nineteenth century. The carving is deep and the design bold and well composed, although the detailing is compromised to some degree, as is the finishing of the ground plane and the carving of the foot, including control of the overlay colour.

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.