Bottle ID: 00658

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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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