Bottle ID: 402

< Previous page

GRAY-GREEN, BROWN DRAGONS

Date: 1740-1820

Height: 65 mm

Nephrite, of grayish-celadon and russet tones, very well hollowed, of flattened rectangular form with a neatly carved footrim, each main side carved in low relief with stylized panels of confronting pairs of Qilong, the sides carved with coiling Qilong.
Imperial, attributed to the Palace Workshops, Beijing.

Similar Examples:

Crane Collection nos. 145, 305, 401 and 685
Stevens, Bob C. The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, 1976, p. 118, no. 408.
Christie's, New York, March 21, 2002, lot 256, The Blanche B. Exstein Collection.
Sotheby's, New York, April 1, 2005, lot 395, Collection of Avrina Pugh.

Provenance:

Hugh Moss [HK] Ltd.
The Clatworthy Collection
Sotheby's, London, December 3, 1997, lot 532
C. B. Dix

This bottle is extremely appealing with the clever use of the thick and richly colored skin of the pebble to depict writhing Qilong on the sides of the bottlle. Not content to leave it at that, the carver has gone on to show archaic dragons on the main sides of the bottle, a popular motif at the eighteenth century court stemming from the decoration on ancient bronze vessels that surrounded the Emperor and his family in the Forbidden City.

< Back to full list