Footnotes

• Treasury 7, no. 1574
  
  蜜蠟光素鼻煙壺
  
  An amber snuff bottle
  
  ('Yellow Gold')
  
  Translucent, variegated golden-yellow amber (of the variety known as 'Baltic amber'), the surface extensively and finely crizzled
  1740–1840
  Height: 6.55 cm
  Mouth/lip: 0.57/2.2 cm
  Stopper: translucent, variegated golden-yellow amber, the surface crackled; jadeite finial; black vinyl collar
  
  Condition: some minor chipping to inner lip and insignificant nibbles to outer lip; insignificant nibbling to outer footrim; tiny flake on the surface on one main side, and two other pin-prick flakes to surface, none of it at all obtrusive and mostly barely visible; the entire surface gently crizzled from age; usual pattern of scratches and wear from use, particularly on the footrim and lip. General relative condition: extraordinarily good for a plain Baltic amber. Stopper: some age crackling and abrasions
  
  Condition:some minor chipping to inner lip and insignificant nibbles to outer lip; insignificant nibbling to outer footrim; tiny flake on the surface on one main side, and two other pin-prick flakes to surface, none of it at all obtrusive and mostly barely visible; the entire surface gently crizzled from age; usual pattern of scratches and wear from use, particularly on the footrim and lip. General relative condition: Extraordinarily good for a plain Baltic amber.Stopper: some age crackling and abrasions, collar minor chips
  
  Provenance:
  Unrecorded early purchase
  
  Published:
  Kleiner 1995, no. 342
  Chen Tao 2002, p. 61
  Treasury 7, no. 1574
  
  Exhibited:
  BritishMuseum, London, June–October 1995
  IsraelMuseum, Jerusalem, July–November 1997
  
  Commentary
  This rounded-rectangular form, with flattened main sides, is typically mid-Qing and occurs in a range of materials including coral, crystal, agate, jadeite, and, particularly, nephrite. There are many nephrite examples known of pure white colour, which suggests a standard, often-produced type, probably made at or for the court, regardless of whatever extent to which they were also made elsewhere for a broader market. There are also mid-Qing examples of the same popular form with carved relief or engraved designs. The shape probably became popular during the Qianlong period and continued into the nineteenth century. It was, of course, also one of the standard forms at the end of the Qing dynasty for inside-painted snuff bottles.
  
  It is easy to see why this lovely piece of amber was left undecorated. With its brilliance of colour and fascinating internal pattern, resembling falling water or smoke rising from an incense burner, its appeal was complete without further embellishment. It is doubtful that this is the original stopper or that such bottles were ever intended to have matching stoppers. Plain bottles with cylindrical necks look far better with contrasting stoppers. The recently added black vinyl collar here, however, solves this problem by providing the immediate contrast that a different material achieves while maintaining a pleasingly close match of materials. The ideal might be a plain, seriously green, transparent jadeite stopper of rounded-rectangular profile to match the bottle, but it would have to be of gem quality and a perfect fit, and that is a tall order for the usual boxful of spare stoppers available to the collector.
  
  蜜蠟光素鼻煙壺
  
  半透明蜜蠟琥珀，表面呈微裂紋
  1740–1840
  高：6.55 厘米
  口經/唇經：0.57/2.2 厘米
  蓋： 半透明的蜜臘琥珀，表面呈碎紋； 翡翠頂飾；黑色乙烯基座
  
  狀態敘述： 唇內呈微小的缺口，唇外沿呈微不足道的咬痕；圈足外緣呈微不足道的咬痕；一正面表面有細微的片形缺口，還有兩個針孔缺口，都不引人注目，多半幾乎看不見的；全表面因為積年而呈微裂紋；經過歲月的觸摸以後，呈一般的抓痕、磨耗，特別是在圈足的唇上。 總體品相：就素面蜜蠟琥 珀來說，質地出奇的好。 蓋：因為積年呈碎紋與耗
  
  來源：
  Unrecorded early purchase
  
  文獻：
  Kleiner 1995, 編號 342
  Chen Tao 2002, p. 61
  Treasury 7, 編號 1574
  
  展覽：
  British Museum, London, June–October 1995
  Israel Museum, Jerusalem, July–November 1997
  
  說明：
  這種圓角四角形和平坦的壺身是清中葉典型的類型；珊瑚的。水晶的、瑪瑙的、翡翠的、閃玉的都有，特別是後者。白玉的多，大概是給宮廷作的。到了清末年，這也是內畫用水晶坯和玻璃坯正常形式。
  

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Category: Asian Art / Chinese Works of Art

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