Footnotes

• Treasury 3, no. 408
  
  海藍寶光素鼻煙壺
  大概為御製品，1760-1840
  
  The Supreme Aquamarine
  
  Aquamarine; well but not extensively hollowed, with a flat lip and recessed flat foot surrounded by a protruding broad, flat footrim
  Probably imperial, 1760–1840
  Height: 6.22 cm
  Mouth/lip: 0.55/2.00 cm
  Stopper: tourmaline
  
  Condition: Some icy flaws to the inner wall; one side of the footrim polished back; a miniscule chip to the other side of the footrim; nothing too obtrusive
  
  Provenance:
  Christie's, London, 12 October 1987, lot 312
  
  Published:
  Kleiner 1995, no. 303
  Treasury 3, no. 408
  
  Exhibited:
  British Museum, London, June–October 1995
  Israel Museum, Jerusalem, July–November 1997
  
  Commentary:
  This stunning aquamarine is the most impressive of a small group of similarly shaped bottles where a rounded rectangular form is left with relatively thick walls to retain the maximum depth of colour. They are all flawed to some extent, but this is the least flawed of all and of lovely colour that would not be unimpressive as jewellery. It is quite simply sumptuous.
  
  For another very similar bottle, also of brilliant colour and the same shape which must have been from the same workshop, see Stevens 1976, no. 643. That bottle was in the collection of Hugh Moss until he traded it with Bob Stevens for a trip to Las Vegas while staying with him in 1963. Others are illustrated in Perry 1960, no. 94, and Hamilton 1977, p. 49, no. S–2. One also finds these plain, rounded rectangular forms in green beryl, which differs only in colour from aquamarine, although they are usually slimmer. It is a characteristic feature of the aquamarines of this group that they are thicker-walled and more substantial, not only in this additional wall-thickness but in their size and depth as well, allowing for more intense colour, of course, but also greater presence. Perhaps the lovely pale blue of aquamarine was valued above the greener gem-like qualities of its sister stone, green beryl. For an example, see Hall 1991, no. 18, which in turn relates to lot 51 in the present auction and probably comes from the same workshop, although one is carved and one plain.
  
  An aquamarine of similar form but carved with a highly imperial, palace design, now considered to be a work of the latter Qianlong period but catalogued at the time as being later than that, was exhibited at the Hong Kong Museum of Art in 1978 (Snuff Bottles of the Ch'ing Dynasty, no. 129). Re-dated to the late Qianlong period, this bottle is obviously the aquamarine equivalent of the imperial tourmalines cited under Treasury 3, no. 407. A plain aquamarine, but of an ovoid form with a flared neck, is in Ford 1982, no. 54.
  
  Although all of the aquamarine bottles of this form have thick walls, the hollowing in the inner shoulders does not match the outer profile, leaving a fan-shaped area at the top. It is neatly done, but is probably a sign of declining standards in hollowing and may indicate a nineteenth-century rather than a late eighteenth-century date.
  
  One can see the enormous appeal of precious gemstones with this bottle and regret that so few have survived from the snuff-bottle period, although they must have been made in larger quantities than the extant numbers suggest. It is possible, although unlikely, that many were cut up and re-made into other items.
  
  The problem with early aquamarine bottles is that they tended to be confused with later production, although there is a larger number of aquamarine bottles that can be attributed to the mid-Qing period, and this collection is particularly rich in them. This form in nephrite, for instance, was apparently an imperial type of the Qianlong period, even if not exclusively, and there is no reason why its aquamarine equivalent should not be as well, although its form alone would be insufficient for more than a very tentative possible attribution. However, there is another, better reason to assume a higher probability here. Regardless of other sources, beryl, and its blue variety, aquamarine, were mined in the same region as nephrite, Turkestan, which was brought under Qing military control in 1759. Thereafter large quantities of stone suddenly became available and much was sent as tribute to the court. We can assume that the best specimens would have been retained for court use, and this is one of the finest known.
  
  The appeal of the gemstone is equally found in the addition, so common with beryl and aquamarine, of a tourmaline stopper. The two stones are an ideal match for each other, and it is difficult to imagine a better stopper for this bottle, although it is perhaps strange that the compliment never seems to be returned by putting an aquamarine stopper on a tourmaline bottle.
  
  太上海藍寶石
  
  海藍寶石；掏膛完整而霾徹頭徹底，平唇，平面斂底，突出寬圈足，圈足底完全接觸地面
  大概為御製品， 1760～1840年
  高﹕ 6.22 厘米
  口經/唇經： 0.55/2.00 厘米
  蓋﹕ 碧璽
  
  狀態敘述﹕
  內壁有冰裂紋，圈足上有修補過的痕跡，圈足另一邊亦有一小缺口，並不明顯
  
  來源：
  佳士得， 倫敦，1987年10月12日，拍賣品號 312
  
  文獻﹕
  Kleiner 1995, 編號 303
  Treasury 3, 編號 408
  
  展覽﹕
  大英博物館, 倫敦, 1995年6月～10月
  Israel Museum, 耶路撒冷, 1997年7月～11月
  
  說明:
  海藍寶石煙壺其他例子和詳細論述，請參閱本壺的英文說明。 所有圓角長方形的海藍寶石都具有厚壁，但本壺的內壁在上部不相稱外壁的形式； 掏膛整齊是整齊，但這種不相稱的現象可能意味著十九世紀掏膛水準的下降。不過，這形式在乾隆時期的閃玉等材料的御製煙壺是很普遍的，再考慮綠柱石和海藍寶石，跟閃玉一樣，是1759年清朝平定了天山南麓的大和卓波羅尼都、小和卓霍集占叛亂以後大量地運入中原的，那麼，本壺也可能是乾隆年代的作品。

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Category: Asian Art / Chinese Works of Art

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