A RARE BLUE DECAGONAL JADEITE SNUFF BOTTLE
Probably imperial, attributed to the Palace Workshops, 1780-1820
Of decagonal form with a cylindrical neck and with a neatly carved flat foot, well-hollowed, of blue tone, carved on each main side with a flower-head of radiating petals; stopper.
2 1/2in (6.2cm) high
Footnotes:
1780-1820 藍翡翠刻棱十邊形鼻煙壺一件
或為御製，亦或為宮廷作坊製

Provenance:
Sotheby's, London, July 2, 1984, lot 276
Joan and Ted Dorf Collection, no. 45

Literature:
JICSBS, Winter 2018, Clare Chu. A Myriad of Treasures: Snuff Bottles from Mid-Atlantic Collectors, p. 44, fig. 21

Exhibited:
The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD., September 30 – December 9, 2018

Jadeite has been highly prized by the Chinese for centuries. It was known to them from the late Ming dynasty but did not become a treasured material until the last quarter of the Qianlong reign, when it became accepted at court as a highly valued alternative form of jade. It is likely that the material was first mined in the later years of the eighteenth century. This example is one of the few known bottles of the material in this blue tone, which are always well made, and where good hollowing is combined with subtle integrity, and an even natural color. The stone is harder than nephrite, but brittle, and it was a sign of the carver's confidence and skill that he could even have attempted to create this bottle in jadeite. A reasonably large number of imperially made octagonal bottles exist, mainly in glass, but imperial decagonal bottles are a much rarer group. Examples exist in nephrite, crystal, jadeite and agate.

There is a very tiny outer rim frit on this superbly carved and rare blue decagonal jadeite bottle.