An 'iron-imitation' porcelain snuff bottle, Qing dynasty, 18th- 19th century. Estimate  30,000 — 40,000 HKD (3,584 - 4,779 EUR). Photo Sotheby's.

7.5 cm., 3 in.

Provenance: Robert Hall, London, 1990.

Literature: Robert Hall, Chinese Snuff Bottles III, London, 1990, cat. no. 71.
Lindsey Hall, 'Trompe L'Oeil and Chinese Snuff Bottles - Part Two: An
Examination of Porcelain Imitations’, Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, Autumn 1998, p. 19, fig. 60.
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. 1220. 

Notes: One of the unusual variants on the theme of moulded porcelain bottles from the mid-Qing period is a small group of artefacts that appear to imitate metal, usually iron, but sometimes gilt metal. The iron-like pigment here is neither a typical glaze nor a typical enamel; it is a very thin layer of brown with a tiny fish-roe pattern of darker, slightly raised circles all over it, uncannily resembling a piece of rusted iron that has been buffed. Whatever the precise technique involved, it appears to have oxidized in the kiln, giving a crystalline, rusty appearance to the surface.

It is also a very thin covering, despite the minutely stippled surface, and allows for quite fine detail to show through, more so than with, say, a turquoise-blue enamel or a white glaze. The thinness of the ‘glaze’ encouraged some fairly detailed designs for this rare group of wares.

Here is one of the most appealing, with its group of auspicious scholarly trappings. Its precise dating, however, remains uncertain. The mask handles, with their dog-like faces with floppy ears and small rings, are typical of the late-Qianlong period, but others with similar iron-like colouring have subjects that suggest they may be later. It is possible that the type was developed in the Jiaqing but continued in use into the mid-nineteenth century, when fake Qianlong marks began to be used on this type of ware. One is inclined to believe that this exceptional version is from the earlier output, although a little leeway is left just in case.

Sotheby's. Snuff Bottles from the Mary and George Bloch Collection: Part X, Hong Kong, 01 Jun 2015, 10:00 AM