Lot 6020. A rare enameled caramel glass snuff bottle, Guyue Xuan mark, 1770-1799. Estimate US$ 6,000 - 8,000 (€5,400 - 7,300). Photo Bonhams.

Of spade form with a waisted neck, slightly concave lip, painted in thin enamels of varied and subdued shades around the sides to present a lush and tranquil lotus pond, the neatly recessed foot with three very faint characters reading Guyue Xuan (Ancient Moon Pavilion). 2 3/16in (5.6cm) high

Provenance: Jin Hing & Co, Los Angeles, 28th October 1996

Notes: The myths surrounding Guyue Xuan ware have been explored and discussed by many academics, connoisseurs and collectors. Nevertheless conclusions as to where, when, and how it was started, developed, and became established remain an intriguing mystery open for debate and speculation. For references on Guyue Xuan snuff bottles, see "Mysteries of the Ancient Moon", Hugh Moss, The International Snuff Bottle Society Journal, Spring 2006, pp. 16-33, and Lilla Perry, Chinese Snuff Bottles, pp.95-99.

A comparable snuff bottle with Guyue Xuan mark, from the Barbara and Marvin Dicker Collection, sold in our New York rooms, 16 March 2015, sale 22949, lot 1054. Compare also, a very closely related bottle from the Bloch Collection, sold by Sotheby's Hong Kong, 26 May 2014, lot 1044, and a similar bottle illustrated by Robert Hall,Chinese Snuff Botttles XII, fig. 64, p. 44-45.

Bonhams. CHINESE SNUFF BOTTLES FROM TWO PRIVATE AMERICAN COLLECTIONS, 10:00 EDT - NEW YORK