Page 192 - Blum Feinstein Tanka collection HIMALAYAN Art Bonhams March 20 2024

440
A SEMI-TRANSPARENT IMPERIAL-YELLOW GLASS For two near identically carved yellow glass elephant bottles attributed
'CAPARISONED ELEPHANT' BOTTLE to the Imperial Beijing workshops, see Hugh Moss, Victor Graham
1790-1830 and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, The Mary and
Of large oviform profile with the elephant's body narrowing towards George Bloch Collection, Vol. 5, Part 2, Hong Kong, 2002, pp. 395-
the animals four small feet that support the entire body, one narrow 396, no. 856; and Robert W.L. Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the
side carved with the elephant's head turning to one side and the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Hong Kong, 1987, pp. 60-61,
other narrow side centered by the elephants tail between the wrinkled no. 76. The predominance of yellow glass for elephant snuff bottles
skin and rear legs, well-detailed blankets hang to either main side, certainly suggests an Imperial type. Indeed, as Moss et. al. note, op.
engraved with star cells and tasseled ends, all below a ruyi-shaped cit., p. 396, this is no surprise given the profusion of elephant-form
cloud-collar that envelops the rounded shoulders below single wide works of art throughout the Qing Palaces, reception rooms and private
rounded band at the neck below an everted rim with flat rim and apartments. The unusually large size of this bottle would be compatible
slightly convex small mouth opening. with the late Qianlong period.
2 15/16in (7.3cm) high, stopper
For another, slightly later example, see Christopher C.H. Sin and
$5,500 - 7,000 Humphrey K.F. Hui, An Imperial Qing Tradition, Hong Kong 1994, p.
117, no. 144 where the authors note that the elephant is a symbol
1790-1830 半透明御用黃料「太平景象」鼻煙壺一件 of strength, sagacity and prudence and that the rebus formed from
an elephant supporting a vase is taiping youxiang (a sign of peaceful
Provenance: times). Another example formerly in the Pamela R. Lessing Friedman
Heriot Collection, Edinburgh, Scotland Collection is illustrated by Robert Hall, Chinese Snuff Bottles XI, The
Robert Hall, London Snowy Peaks Collection, London, 2005, no. 17.

來源：
Heriot收藏，愛丁堡，蘇格蘭
Robert Hall，倫敦

190 | BONHAMS