Footnotes

• Treasury 2, no. 195
  
  水晶豆莢形鼻煙壺
  
  A crystal 'pod' snuff bottle
  
  Stained crystal; adequately hollowed and carved in the form of a seed- or bean- pod containing three seeds or beans
  1760–1860
  Height: 7.1 cm (measured at right angles to the lip)
  Mouth: 0.46 cm
  Stopper: glass; gilt-silver collar
  
  Condition: There is a shallow chip of approximately 0.5cm to the outer lip, and there are imperceptible nibbles to the surface of the whole bottle
  
  Provenance:
  Hugh M. Moss Ltd. (1995)
  
  Published:
  Treasury 2, no. 195
  
  On this type of rose quartz, see Sale 2, lot 86.
  
  Botanical subjects were a staple among eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century snuff bottles, and apparently very popular at court (see discussion in Treasury 1, no. 62, or Sale 2, lot 14) and there is no reason why this should not have been a courtly product, although it is equally likely to have been a private one. There is an amethyst-coloured glass equivalent known (Moss 1971a, no. 251) and another in jadeite (Sotheby's, London, 17 December 1996, lot 403). A group of the same form in different materials may be clue to an Imperial type, and the jadeite example cannot have been much earlier than the last decade or two of the eighteenth century, which may help to date the group.
  
  The hollowing is adequate and functional but not excessive, presumably in order to keep the depth of colour, and the exterior carving is excellent with beautifully rounded contours, well carved botanical details where the two halves of the pod join and an even, high-gloss polish. It is one of the masterpieces in this unusual material for the snuff bottle.
  
  水晶豆莢形鼻煙壺
  
  改色水晶；掏膛適當，雕豆莢形
  1760–1860
  高﹕ 7.1 厘米 (與唇面的夾角為直角而測量)
  口徑﹕ 0.46 厘米
  蓋﹕ 玻璃；鎏金銀座
  
  狀態敘述： 唇外沿有一約0.5厘米缺口，整體有微小咬痕
  
  來源:
  Hugh M. Moss Ltd. (1995)
  
  文獻﹕
  Treasury 2, 編號 195
  
  這種顏色可能是經熱處理，再用有機或者無機染料染上兩個方法。在中國，十八世紀就出現這個材料，而這件鼻煙壺大概就是十八世紀中葉的作品。
  
  在十八、十九世紀，植物主題的鼻煙壺是在宮廷很受歡迎的（參閱Treasury 1, 編號 62, 及 第二場拍賣會， 拍賣品號 14)。本壺可能是宮廷作坊製作的，但也可能是民間的作坊的作品。同樣的造型有玻璃的 (Moss 1971a, 編號 251) ，也有翡翠的 (倫敦蘇富比，1996年12月17日，拍賣品號 403)。後者大概是十八世紀晚期作的。
  
  本壺的掏膛足夠，可是腹壁不要太薄，免得顏色太淡了。外表的工藝嫻熟，形神兼備，是這種罕見質料的鼻煙壺的傑作之一。

Saleroom notices

• Please note that the stopper is not as illustrated in the catalogue photo, but as viewed.