A 'Robin's Egg' porcelain 'Double-Gourd' snuff bottle probably Imperial, Qing dynasty, Qianlong-early Jiaqing period. Photo Sotheby's

of double-gourd form with a convex lip, applied with a mottled turquoise and lavender-blue glaze, the base with spur marks; with a coral stopper; 6.7 cm., 2 5/8  in. Estimation 35,000-45,000 HKD. Lot vendu: 125,000 HKD

PROVENANCE: Jade House, Hong Kong, 1985.

EXHIBITED: Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Miniature Art from the Collection of George and Mary Bloch, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 178.
National Museum of Singapore, Singapore, 1994-1995.

LITTERATURE: Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 6, Hong Kong, 2007, no. 1154.

NOTE: The quality of the glaze here indicates a likely Qianlong date, possibly an early one, as the uncompressed double gourd was seen in early-Qianlong courtly production. The uncompressed form may have more to do with its source of inspiration than its date within the reign. Larger equivalents of this shape from the Qianlong imperial kilns are always uncompressed, and a late-Qianlong potter may simply have miniaturized an existing vase form that inspired him in the making of this bottle. The unglazed interior may also indicate a later-Qianlong date, although it would be rash at this stage of our knowledge to assume that the rules applying to enamelled porcelains would necessarily apply equally to all other ceramic types. Larger vessels of this form and with this distinctive feathering of the two colours were made for the court, so there is no reason why this should not be imperial, even if unmarked.

Sotheby's. Snuff Bottles from the Mary and George Bloch Collection: Part VI. Hong Kong | 27 mai 2013 www.sothebys.com