Lot 35
Treasury 5, no. 709 (‘Cinnabar Clouds’)
HK$27,500

Opaque, variegated cinnabar–red, mahogany-brown, and dark brown glass; with a flat lip and slightly concave oval foot
1730 – 1830
Height: 4.92 cm
Mouth/lip: 1.12/1.51 cm
Stopper: coral; gilt-bronze collar

Provenance:  
Sotheby’s (PB84), New York (circa 1977)
Gerd Lester (1986)

Published:
Treasury 5, no. 709

Although using some of the colours of realgar glass, striated material such as this might equally have been inspired by carnelian or by jasper, which can be found in this colour range.

As with Sale 4, lot 107, this is an unusually light-weight glass bottle, with very thin walls and a mouth even wider than that one. Such width of mouth always gives a bottle a certain presence, and here it graces a simple but lovely form made from an intriguing material.

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.