Page 217 - Bonhams May 12 16 London

198

In terms of artistry, technical skill and 199
workmanship, the present lot is of the finest
quality of snuff bottle made in the palace
workshops during the reign of Emperor
Qianlong and is extremely rare. It is perhaps
even rarer for the original stopper to have
been retained, complimenting the bottle
perfectly.

The motif of two confronting archaistic chilong
enclosing a lotus amidst a profusion of
Rococo-inspired leafy tendrils is quintessential
of the Qianlong period and similar designs
can be found on porcelain, see Treasures
in the Royalty: The Official Kiln Porcelain of
the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003,
pp.260-261. See also lot 79.

For a related Imperial cloisonné enamel snuff
bottle with stylised dragons, dated mid-Qing,
see H.Moss, V.Graham and K.B.Tsang,
The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, New
York, 1993, pp.444-445, pl.266. See also
H.Moss, Snuff Bottles of China, London,
1971, no.272. For similar examples with
original domed stoppers, see R.Hall, The
Snowy Peaks Collection: A Collection of
Chinese Snuff Bottles formed by Pamela R.
Lessing Friedman, London, 2005, no.97; and
H.Brinker and A.Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The
Pierre Uldry Collection, London, 1989, pl.364.