A SAPPHIRE-BLUE GLASS OVERLAY ‘LOTUS POND’ SNUFF BOTTLE, ATTRIBUTED TO THE IMPERIAL GLASSWORKS, BEIJING, 1750-1790
The baluster body supported on a short foot and rising to a rounded shoulder with tapered neck and thick everted rim. The exterior masterfully carved through the transparent sapphire-blue outer layer to the opaque milky-white ground with a single overlay of lotus growing in clumps of leaves, flowers, and buds from waves around the base.


Provenance:
Collection of John Gilmore Ford. The Albemarle Collection, acquired from the above. Robert Kleiner & Co. Ltd.. London, United Kingdom, 2004. A private collection in the United Kingdom, acquired from the above. A copy of the original invoice from Robert Kleiner & Co. Ltd., dated 30 September 2004, confirming the Imperial attribution and dating above, and stating a purchase price for the present lot of GBP 5,500 or approx.
EUR 13,000
(converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies this lot. John Gilmore Ford, former president of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, is a widely respected collector of Asian art, beginning his highly important collection already in his early twenties. He was strongly influenced by his godfather, Edward Choate O’Dell, the founder of the Chinese Snuff Bottle Society. Gary Vikan, director of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, has said that, “Ford, more than anyone, has assumed the mantle of the collector whose scope and ambition has a civic dimension.”

Condition:
Pristine condition with minor surface wear, and some manufacturing irregularities.

Stopper: Gilt bronze
Weight: 39.9 g
Dimensions: Height incl. stopper 83 mm, Diameter neck 18mm and mouth 7 mm


Literature comparison:

Compare a closely related snuff bottle with green overlay in the Marquess of Exeter’s Collection, illustrated by Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Burghley House Collection, London, 1989, cat. no. 20.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 November 2011, lot 152
Price: HKD 300,000 or approx.
EUR 48,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A sapphire-blue glass overlay ‘floral’ snuff bottle, 1740-1780
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, color, and manner of carving. Note the different floral decoration and the size (61 mm). Note further that this bottle is attributed to the Imperial glassworks in Beijing, exactly like the present lot.




1750-1790年涅白地套寶石藍荷塘紋鼻煙壺，或爲御製

頸部上窄下寬，溜肩，壺體修長，圈足。外壁涅白地，套寶石藍色料，精心呈現荷塘風景。


來源：
John Gilmore Ford收藏；Albemarle 收藏，購於上述收藏；英國倫敦Robert Kleiner & Co. Ltd.藝廊，2004年；英國私人收藏，購於上述藝廊。隨附一份Robert Kleiner & Co. Ltd.藝廊2004年9月30日出具的發票副本，上面確認拍品為御製與斷代 以及售價GBP 5,500 相當於
EUR 13,000
(根據通貨膨脹率)。John Gilmore Ford曾經是國際中國鼻煙壺協會前主席，是一位深受尊敬的亞洲藝術收藏家。他二十歲出頭就開始了非常重要的收藏。 他深受其教父、中國鼻煙壺協會創始人Edward Choate O’Dell的影響。巴爾的摩沃爾特斯藝術博物館館長Gary Vikan 表示：“Ford比任何人都更能承擔起收藏家的責任，他的視野具有大衆維度。”

品相：
原始狀態，表面輕微磨損、鑄造不規則。

壺蓋：銅鎏金
重量：39.9 克
尺寸：總高83毫米，頸部直徑18毫米，壺口直徑 7 毫米


文獻比較：


比較一件非常相近的綠色鼻煙壺，Exeter侯爵收藏，見Robert Kleiner，《Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Burghley House Collection》，倫敦，1989年，圖錄編號20。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港邦瀚斯，2011年11月28日，lot 152
價格：HKD 300,000（相當於今日
EUR 48,500
）
描述：1740-1780年白套藍玻璃纏枝花卉紋鼻煙壺
專家評論：比較非常相近的外形、顏色和雕刻風格。請注意不同的花卉紋裝飾和尺寸 (61 毫米)。請注意此鼻煙壺可能是北京宮廷御製，和我們的鼻煙壺一樣。