Footnotes

• Treasury 5, no. 825
  
  透明綠色玻璃夔龍紋鼻煙壺
  御用玻璃廠，北京，1720～1770
  
  A transparent green glass 'happiness' snuff bottle
  Transparent emerald-green glass with a few small air bubbles; with a flat lip and recessed flat foot surrounded by a protruding rounded footrim; carved on each main side with the character xi ('happiness') made up of four kui dragons sharing two bodies, two with bird-like heads, the shoulders with mask-and-ring handles
  Imperial glassworks, Beijing, 1720-1770
  Height: 5.12 cm
  Mouth/lip: 0.83/1.40 cm
  Stopper: tourmaline; glass collar
  
  Condition: Workshop condition
  
  Provenance:
  Robert Kleiner (1990)
  
  Published:
  Kleiner, Yang, and Shangraw 1994, no. 4
  Treasury 5, no. 825
  
  Exhibited:
  Creditanstalt, Vienna, May-June 1993
  Hong Kong Museum of Art, March-June 1994
  National Museum, Singapore, November 1994-February 1995
  
  This is a unique emerald-green glass version of the type discussed under Sale 4, lot 41, of which it may be one of the earlier examples. The designs are very similar, suggesting one must have inspired the other or both were inspired by a common design—possibly one drawn up for Imperial approval before being sent to the lapidary workshop. The bottle is the fattest of those recorded, and of a colour we know to have been produced from the very early years of the Imperial glassworks, although others can be dated to the Qianlong era. The size of the rings on the mask handles offers a further clue, for these are the smallest in relation to the masks of all the known examples. We propose this as a sign of early style in this popular feature, hence the slightly earlier date range in this instance.
  
  Despite the variation in colour and bulbousness of this series, the bottles are of uniformly high quality and exhibit supremely confident carving. They represent the epitome of eighteenth-century glass carving from the Imperial glassworks, although the formal nature of their designs may make them seem less exciting than more dynamic subjects carved to a similarly high standard.
  
  
  透明綠色玻璃仿古龍紋鼻煙壺
  透明鮮綠闓玻璃，含有一些小氣泡；平唇， 平斂底突出圓棱圈足；各正面由四隻夔構成龍字紋，在右下的一隻夔有鳥頭，肩部雕獸首啣環耳
  御用玻璃廠，北京，1720-1770
  高﹕ 5.12 厘米
  口徑/唇徑： 0.83/1.40 厘米
  蓋﹕ 碧璽； 玻璃座
  
  狀態敘述： 出廠狀態
  
  來源:
  Robert Kleiner (1990)
  
  文獻﹕
  Kleiner, Yang, and Shangraw 1994, 編號 4
  Treasury 5, 編號 825
  
  展覽﹕
  Creditanstalt, 維也納， 1993年5月～6月
  香港藝術館，1994年3月～6月
  National Museum of Singapore,1994年11月～1995年2 月
  
  本壺屬於 第四場拍賣會，拍賣品號 41, 所代表的一類，就是本壺龍字紋不是左右轉換的。在記錄的此類鼻煙壺中，本壺是最豐滿的。其顏色是御用玻璃廠開端時期已經出產的，而耳紋的環的相對大小是最小的。因此，我們認為本壺是比較早的。無論如何，這批煙壺代表十八世紀御用玻璃廠玻璃雕琢藝術的高峰。

---

Category: Asian Art / Chinese Works of Art

---

Auction terms and conditions