Page 16 - Bonhams September 10 2018 New York Chinese Works of Art

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AN MAUVE GLASS ENAMELED ‘PRUNUS’ SNUFF BOTTLE
Late 19th/20th century
The flattened bottle finished with a slightly recessed lip and oval
foot ring surrounding the convex foot, brilliantly enameled with the
continuous design of a blossoming prunus tree bearing numerous
charming white blossoms.
2 5/8in (6.7cm) high
$5,000 - 8,000

十九世紀末/二十世紀 料胎畫琺瑯梅花圖鼻煙壺

Provenance
Jade House, Hong Kong, 16 July 2001

The present example differs from the celebrated and mysterious
Guyue Xuan enameled glasswork from the 18th and 19th centuries,
where the enamels often were applied in a thin and light style,
reflecting the aesthetic taste of the traditional Chinese ink paintings.
This bottle with its fine and accomplished enamel work, together with
the combined rich colors bring lavishness and elegance together,
evoking an imperial enameled copper and gold ‘blossoming prunus’
snuff bottle, made by the imperial command of the Kangxi emperor
(refer to the Snuff Bottles from the Mary and George Bloch Collection:
Part IV, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 28 November 2011, lot 166).
It would not be unreasonable to speculate that perhaps the present
bottle was created with the inspiration of the brilliant beauty exhibited
by the Kangxi enameled copper ‘prunus’ bottle, either during the
Guangxu period to reflect the Empress Dowager Cixi’s taste for
glamorous luxury, or from the hand of a talented and skillful artisan
from the first half to the mid-20th century.

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A CANTON ENAMEL ‘FLORAL’ SNUFF BOTTLE
Guangzhou, 1735-1800
Of spade form, with an exposed copper lip, painted in colored
enamels with a lush garden filled with peonies, chrysanthemums, and
lilies, with long-tailed birds perching on the branches of a slender and
graceful tree rising from rocks painted on the rounded foot.
1 7/8in (4.8cm) high

$2,500 - 4,000

1735-1800年 廣東銅胎畫琺瑯鳥語花香紋鼻煙壺

Provenance
Sotheby’s, London, 17 June 1998, lot 1630

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