Bottle ID: 331

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DOUBLE GOURD FORM

Date: 1740-1795

Height: 54 mm

Nephrite, very well hollowed, carved in the form of a double gourd, the small circular base slightly concave, and with an everted lip at the mouth, the stone stained to resemble the skin of a jade pebble.

Similar Examples:

Crane Collection no. 622
Crane Collection no. 489
Moss, Hugh, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang. The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle - The J & J Collection, 1993, Vol. I, p. 110, no. 51.
Moss, Hugh, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang. A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles - The Mary and George Bloch Collection, 1995, Vol. 1, pp. 182-183, no. 73.
Stevens, Bob C. The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, 1976, p. 117, no. 395.

Provenance:

Clare Lawrence Ltd.
Heinrich Horst, Germany

Exhibited:

Annual Convention ICSBS New York, November 2013

In the spirit of archaism nephrite was taken and stained in the 18th century to reflect the hue and patination of earlier pieces. In 1743 the Qianlong emperor gave instructions for the improvement, as he saw it of two white jade pieces which had been ordered from the Imperial workshops eleven months earlier. His instructions were:

"Bake the white jade Immortal and horse to create some stains so they look like Han jades, and make an elegant stand for each of them".

 

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