A GOLDEN-BROWN OVERLAY YELLOW GLASS ‘CHILONG’ SNUFF BOTTLE, QING DYNASTY

Of transparent golden-brown and semi-transparent yellow glass, the former with a few scattered air bubbles, the latter suffused with them.

China, late 18th to earlier 19th century

Carved as a single overlay with a chilong on each main side, one with a long, sinuous section from its tail held in its mouth. The medley of various tones of yellow on glassworks was apparently developed during the Qianlong period, probably in the middle or second half of the reign. Among them, the most common tonal combination was a range of translucent yellow tones over a transparent ground that varies from a distinct golden yellow to the toffee brown as seen on the present example. Its visual similarity with some topaz, which is sometimes called huangyu (‘yellow jade’) in Chinese, suggests that it could have been inspired by the translucent gemstone.

Shape: Bulbous oval shape
Hollowing: Standard
Mouth, neck and lip: Short neck with very wide opening
Base: Raised oval base in yellow overlay
Stopper: Pink tourmaline on yellow platelet with good old spoon
Height of the bottle with stopper: 6,6 cm.
Width of the mouth: z mm.
Width of the neck: 11 mm.
Weight: 26,1 grams
Condition: Absolutely perfect. Some open air bubbles.
Provenance: Hungarian private collection

Literature comparison: Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 5, Hong Kong, 2002, no. 952.

Auction result comparison: SNUFF BOTTLES FROM THE MARY AND GEORGE BLOCH COLLECTION: PART VI. Sotheby’s, 27 MAY 2013, HONG KONG, lot 263. (for a related bottle)

清代金黃套料赤龍紋鼻烟壺
金黃套料與黃色半透明玻璃壺身
中國，18世紀晚期至19世紀
品相極好
匈牙利私人收藏