Page 316 - Christie's Fine Chiense Works of Art November 2018 London

AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE AND AUSPICIOUS
IMPERIAL DOUBLE-GOURD SNUFF BOTTLE

ROSEMARY SCOTT, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC CONSULTANT

The deep red background on this extremely rare snuf being made near the church in Canchikou 蠶 池口near
bottle is one which clearly held a great attraction for the the Xi’an Gate, inside the Imperial City. Scholars have
Qing emperors, despite the infrequency of its application. speculated that in the Qianlong reign, the bolichang
As early as the Kangxi reign it was used on rare vessels (glass factory) mentioned in the records was the original
which were decorated with enamels applied directly glassworks at Canchikou, which fred and blew the glass,
to their biscuit-fred bodies, such as the Kangxi yuzhi and supplied blanks for decoration by the bolizuo (玻璃作
-marked vase in the collection of the Palace Museum, glass workshop) in the Yuanming Yuan, which would have
Beijing (illustrated in Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel been involved in the production of highly refned pieces,
Decoration and Famille Rose, vol. 39, The Complete under the close supervision of the emperor.
Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong
Not only was the deep red enamel itself precious, but the
Kong, 1999, pp. 2-3, no. 1). Rich rouge red grounds can
colour red was traditionally an auspicious one in China,
also be seen on a small number of imperial enamelled
being associated with celebration. Other aspects of the
porcelain vessels of the Yongzheng reign, such as the bowl
decoration on the current snuf bottle are also auspicious.
with blossoming plum branches and bamboo against a
Indeed, the double gourd form itself was an auspicious
deep red ground in the collection of the National Palace
one. Amongst the Chinese aristocracy double gourds, also
Museum, Taipei (illustrated in Special Exhibition of Ch’ing
called bottle gourds, were a favourite symbol at New Year
Dynasty Enamelled Porcelains of the Imperial Ateliers,
as well as on birthdays, since they represented abundance
Taipei, 1992, p. 50, no. 13). A similar use of the deep red
and fertility because of their many seeds, and also
ground combined with plum blossom can be seen on a
longevity through their links with Daoism. This double
Yongzheng imperial snuf bottle – copper with painted
gourd-shaped snuf bottle includes vines with tendrils as
enamels – in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing
part of the decoration. The combination of bottle gourd –
(illustrated by E.S. Rawski and J. Rawson (eds.), China:
hulu 葫蘆in Chinese – and vines and tendrils - mandai 蔓帶 –
The Three Emperors 1662-1795, London, 2005, p. 204, no.
suggest the phrase ‘may you have numerous descendants’
101). In the Qianlong reign this rich red was used on some
葫蘆萬代 hulu wandai. The decoration includes sprays of
of the most highly esteemed imperial porcelains decorated
peach blossom and also sprays of nandina. The peach
at the imperial ateliers in the palace, such as the vase with
blossom suggests a wish for longevity, while the nandina,
fowers and butterfies on a sgrafiato red ground in the
known in Chinese as tianzhu 天竹 ‘heavenly bamboo’ was
collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (illustrated
often used at the New Year or on birthdays to provide a
by Rose Kerr on the cover of Chinese Ceramics – Porcelain
congratulatory greeting since it provided a pun for tian 天
of the Qing Dynasty 1644-1911, London, 1998, and on p. 116,
‘heaven’ and zhu 祝 ‘to congratulate’.
pl. 99).
This fne deep rouge ground came from enamels created The ribbon or sash tied around the waist of the bottle
at the imperial glass ateliers in the palace and would is not simply a visually attractive decorative device, but
not have been available for use by private workshops. also has auspicious meaning. The tied ribbon suggests
In 1696, the 35th year of the Kangxi reign, the emperor the Chinese phrase shoudai綬帶 (literally the silk ribbon
commanded that a glass workshop be built, and the attached to an oficial seal or medal), which in turn
Bavarian Jesuit missionary Kilian Stump (1655-1720, who suggests the Chinese character for longevity shou 壽. The
took the Chinese name Ji Li’an 紀理安) application of tied ribbons around vessels of double-gourd
form became especially popular amongst imperial wares
Chenyuan shilue (宸垣識略A Brief Introduction to the in the Qianlong reign and can be seen on larger porcelain
Imperial City, 1788) by Wu Changyuan吳長元 notes glass vases such as the Qianlong double-gourd vase decorated
314 Other fees apply in addition to the hammer price – see Section D of our Conditions of Sale at the back of this Catalogue