AN UNUSUAL ‘ROBIN’S EGG’ GLAZED PORCELAIN SNUFF BOTTLE, CHINA, 1780-1860
The cylindrical body supported on a tapered foot and rising to a rounded shoulder surmounted by a waisted neck with a lipped rim. Covered in a turquoise and sapphire-blue ‘Robin’s Egg’ glaze save for the foot, which reveals the white ware. The glaze is of exceptional quality, the turquoise completely even and opaque, the translucent sapphire-blue swirls applied with remarkable precision and density, showing an elegant luster and unctuous feel overall.


Provenance
: Clare Chu, Asian Art Studio, Los Angeles, California. Cynthia Graser Locke, USA, acquired from the above. A copy of the original invoice from Asian Art Studio, dated 19 November 2003, signed by Clare Chu, accompanies this lot. Note that Clare Chu dated this bottle 1800-1880 in her invoice. Clare Chu has been active in the field of Chinese snuff bottles for 40 years as a gallery owner, curator, auction consultant, lecturer, and writer. She is the author of many articles, books, and snuff bottle catalogs, and has curated exhibitions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2016), and at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore (2018). In October 2021 she curated an exhibition of over 750 snuff bottles held at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall in Taipei. Cynthia Graser Locke (1923-2019) was an American collector of snuff bottles who lived in Duxbury, Massachusetts. She was an active member of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society which allowed her to travel the world, attending many of the Society’s conventions.

Condition
: Excellent condition with minor wear and manufacturing flaws.

Stopper: Ruby-red glass stopper with a beaded metal rim and spoon.
Weight: 45 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 75 mm. Diameter neck 12 mm and mouth 7 mm.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 26 May 2013, lot 106
Price: HKD 125,000 or approx.
EUR 18,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A ‘robin’s egg’ porcelain ‘double-gourd’ snuff bottle, probably Imperial, Qing dynasty, Qianlong / early Jiaqing period
Expert remark: Compare the related, but earlier robin’s egg glaze. Note the double-gourd form.




1780-1860
年爐鈞釉陶瓷鼻煙壺


圓柱形壺身，圈足，溜肩。 壺身施綠松石色和寶石藍色的爐鈞釉，足部露出了白色胎。釉色品質卓越，松石色完全均勻不透明，色彩鮮亮，整體呈現出優雅的光澤和盈潤。


來源：
加利福尼亞州洛杉磯Clare Chu亞洲藝術藝廊；美國Cynthia Graser Locke，購自上述藝廊。此拍品附有亞洲藝術藝廊於 2003 年 11 月 19 日出具的原始發票副本，並由 Clare Chu 簽名。請注意，Clare Chu 在她的發票中將這件鼻煙壺日期標註為 1800-1880 年。 Clare Chu作為藝廊老闆、策展人、拍賣顧問、講師和作家，活躍在中國鼻煙壺領域40年。她是許多文章、書籍和鼻煙壺目錄的作者，並在洛杉磯縣藝術博物館（2016年）和巴爾的摩沃爾特斯藝術博物館（2018年）策劃了展覽。2021年10月，她在台北國父紀念館策劃了一場展出超過750個鼻煙壺的展覽。Cynthia Graser Locke (1923-2019年) 是一位住在美國馬薩諸塞州達克斯伯里的鼻煙壺收藏家。她是國際中國鼻煙壺協會的活躍成員，她曾環遊世界，參加協會的許多會議。

品相：
狀況良好，有輕微磨損和製造缺陷。
壺蓋：寶石紅色玻璃塞，帶有串珠金屬邊緣和勺子。
重量：45 克
尺寸：含蓋高75 毫米，頸部直徑12 毫米及壺口直徑7 毫米.


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2013年5月26日，lot 106
價格：HKD 125,000（相當於今日
EUR 18,500
）
描述：清乾隆 / 嘉慶初年爐鈞釉葫蘆鼻煙壺或御製
專家評論：比較相近的爐鈞釉面。請注意雙葫蘆的外形。