Bottle ID: 00462

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RED RUBY, CARVED IN THE FORM OF A MALLOW FLOWER

Date: 1750-1800

Height: 58 mm

Glass, molded and carved in the form of a mallow flower, of clear ruby-red color, the front and reverse faces carved with a flower-head of six over-lapping petals with a central radiating whorl.

Possibly Imperial, attributed to the Palace Workshops, Beijing.

Similar Examples:

Crane Collection nos. 60 and 638.
Stevens, Bob C. The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, 1976, p. 65, no. 164.
Sotheby's, New York, September 14, 2010, lot 13, The Joe Grimberg Collection.

Provenance:

Asian Art Studio
Sotheby's, New York, October 17, 2001, lot 284, The Frank Lo Collection, Hong Kong
Sotheby's, Hong Kong, April 28, 1993, lot 395

Exhibited:
 

Annual Convention ICSBS Toronto, October 2007

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, including the snuff bottle shown here, with the design itself being known as 'fengjuankui' or 'mallow curling in the wind'. 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 the 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 for the scholar of honor and longevity.

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