A SMOKY CRYSTAL SNUFF BOTTLE
Probably imperial, 1750-1820
Of flawless smoky crystal, very well hollowed and of flattened, rounded form, the sides with mock mask-and-ring handles, carved on each main side with an overlapping, curling six-petaled flower-head with a central radiating whorl; stopper.
2in (5.2cm) high
Footnotes:
1750-1820 煙晶刻花紋舖首啣環鼻煙壺一件
或爲御製

Provenance:
Acquired February 1996
Joan and Ted Dorf Collection, no. 248

There is a tendency to think of 'palace' decoration as being highly formal and often stylized. Yet, more than any other group, the educated palace officials understood the depth of meaning and the symbolism inherent in the objects around them. The mallow or kui flower appears in a variety of forms and colors in glass, but rarely in other materials such as this. The Archives of the Workshops of the Zaobanchu in Yangxin Hall specify precisely what is to be made in the different workshops, detailing the objects with their colors, forms and decoration. In a group of objects for the scholars' desk from the glass workshops are listed 'washers in the shape of a mallow flower' emphasizing its significance, not just as a decorative motif but as a symbol of honor and longevity.

The neck has been slightly reduced. The bottle is elegantly carved and quite translucent.