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Bottle ID: 00657
RED W/WHITE OVERLAY, ORCHIDS & FOUR CHARACTER INSCRIPTION
Date: 1780-1850
Height: 51 mm
Glass, of flattened rounded form, the shoulders tapering to a long neck, carved using the milk-white overlay on a ruby-red ground, on each side with a spray of orchids, one side with a four character inscription reading:
"It epitomizes the scenery of Little Spring"
and with a milk-white footrim.
Attributed to Yangzhou.
Similar Examples:
The Crane Collection, no. 739
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. 768-771, nos. 1043 and 1044.
Hughes, Michael C. The Blair Bequest - Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Princeton University Art Museum, 2002, p. 146, no. 181.
Christie's, London, October 12, 1987, lot 37, The Dwyer Collection.
Provenance:
Asian Art Studio
Exhibited:
Annual Convention ICSBS Toronto, October 2007
This bottle is part of a small, but unusual group of glass overlays which appear to fit into the Yangzhou School. Usually on a clear ruby-red or clear cobalt-blue ground, they are overlaid with an opaque white color and are carved with tendrils of delicate orchids. The Bloch example cited here uses a turquoise overlay over a milk-white ground, a known color combination of the Yangzhou School. Some examples, such as the Crane bottle, have a poetic inscription which describes the bottle. Another typical characteristic of the Yangzhou School is the 'wavy' footrim, where the footrim fuses to the body of the bottle in an irregular manner. This small group of bottles all displays this feature giving an otherwise high quality example a somewhat sloppy look. However, there are enough examples of good quality bottles in this group to know that this is not a lack of enthusiasm on the maker's part but merely an acceptable feature of these bottles.
The expression "It epitomizes the scenery of 'Little Spring" (pin xiaochun jing), refers to the tenth lunar month being an 'Indian summer'. The bottle is carved with the orchid (lan) which is highly fragrant and blooms at this time of year, typifying the season.