Bottle ID: 00658
BLUE W/GREEN OVERLAY, DRAGONS & SHOU MEDALLION
Date: 1750-1800
Height: 59 mm
Glass, of rounded bulbous form, carved using the opaque green overlay on an opaque blue ground, on both sides with two confronting archaic dragons, surrounding a shou medallion, the sides carved with mock mask and ring handles.
Imperial, attributed to the Palace Workshops, Beijing.
Similar Examples:
Crane Collection nos. 294 and 485.
Moss, Hugh, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang. A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles - The Mary and George Bloch Collection, 2002, Vol. 5, Part 3, pp. 576-577, no. 950.
Provenance:
Asian Art Studio
Exhibited:
Annual Convention ICSBS Toronto, October 2007
Despite the Crane Collection housing three examples of this color combination, it is nevertheless very rare. All three Crane bottles are of a green overlay on a blue ground, however, examples have been recorded with the combination of blue overlay on a green ground. The Archives of the Imperial Household Department list that in 1754, the Box Workshop was asked to make a box for a blue overlay on opaque green glass flower holder in double gourd form. It also specified that this item was to be kept in the Palace suggesting that the piece was a treasure of such rarity that it was to be boxed for safe-keeping.
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