Footnotes

• Treasury 6, no. 1237
  
  瓷器模製粉彩錦袱圭形鼻煙壺
  景德鎮，1785～1830
  
  A 'famille-rose' enamelled porcelain 'ritual object' snuff bottle
  
  Famille rose enamels on colourless glaze on porcelain; with a convex lip; moulded and painted in the form of a gui, its square end wrapped in a floral brocade decorated with flower heads and lingzhi (the design of which becomes a formalized floral diaper around the neck of the bottle) and tied with a blue ribbon, the ends of which are freestanding at one shoulder and on one main side of the bottle, its pointed end featuring a raised constellation of three stars connected by lines on each main side; the glaze running over onto the inner lip; the interior unglazed
  Jingdezhen, 1785–1830
  Height: 5.51 cm
  Mouth/lip: 0.52/1.71 cm
  Stopper: coral, carved as a truncated double gourd
  
  Condition: Some flaking and abrasions to relief enamelled areas, particularly noticeable on the blue ribbons
  
  Provenance:
  Private European collection
  Sotheby's, London, 7 June 1990, lot 4
  
  Published:
  Kleiner, Yang, and Shangraw 1994, no. 147
  JICSBS, Winter 1995, p. 11, fig. 17
  Treasury 6, no. 1237
  
  Exhibited:
  Hong Kong Museum of Art, March–June 1994
  National Museum of Singapore, November 1994–February 1995
  
  This extraordinary and very rare moulded porcelain bottle does not fit into any pattern of repeat production, making it difficult to date precisely, although a Jiaqing date is likely. It is unusually thinly potted, though made in the standard form from a two-part mould, with the two parts joined vertically; the interior is left unglazed, which is perhaps a hint that it may not postdate the end of the Jiaqing reign. In terms of rarity, delicacy, and sheer quality, this comes close to being a mid-Qing equivalent of the Tang Ying bottles from the early Qianlong era, standing head and shoulders above the standard range.
  
  The gui is a ritual object that originated as far back as the Xia and Shang periods (ca. 2100–1050 BCE) and became widely used during the Zhou dynasty (ca. 1046–256 BCE). Various kinds of gui were made for different purposes. For examples, while some were used as an insignia to denote the status of the nobility, others served as a text carrier during sacrificial ceremonies honouring heaven and earth, the four quarters, ancestors, spirits, and allegiance between the feudal lords, and still others functioned as a token of faith or authority on various occasions, including the confirmation of a marriage, a proposal, or an employment, guaranteeing punishment, and serving as grave goods together with others to safeguard the deceased. In symbolic art, the gui denotes a desire for distinguished official appointment and accompanying wealth. Here, this wish is augmented by the addition of three stars – a simplified representation of the three Star Gods (the gods of good fortune, wealth, and longevity) – and the brocade wrapper (jinfu) that serves as a visual pun for gold (jin) and happiness or good fortune (fu). The longevity wish is further reinforced by the blue ribbon, on account of its long shape. Finally, the rather ruyi-like formalization of the lingzhi on the brocade cloth suggests wish fulfilment. The gift of such a bottle might imply that the recipient is likely to rise to high rank, be long lived, and have whatever else he might wish – and into the bargain he gets a splendid, refined, and very elegant little snuff bottle.
  
  瓷器模製粉彩錦袱圭形鼻煙壺
  
  瓷胎無色釉上粉彩；凸唇，模製圭形，方端裹包袱，尖端有陽紋三星圖案；釉延伸到唇內緣；內壁不施釉
  景德鎮， 1785–1830
  高﹕ 5.51 厘米
  口徑/唇徑： 0.52/1.71 厘米
  蓋﹕珊瑚，雕切斷的細腰葫蘆
  
  狀態敘述：突出的地方有所脫片、擦傷，特別是在藍色的帶上
  
  來源:
  歐州藏家
  倫敦蘇富比，1990年6月7日，拍賣品號 4
  
  文獻﹕
  Kleiner, Yang, and Shangraw 1994, 編號 147
  《國際中國鼻煙壺協會的學術期刊》，1995年冬期，頁 11, 圖 17
  Treasury 6, 編號 1237
  
  展覽﹕
  香港藝術館，1994年3月～6月
  National Museum of Singapore,1994年11月～1995年2月
  
  這件模製鼻煙壺差不多是獨一無二的，很難定期。我們推測是嘉慶朝製作的，但因為內壁不施釉，也可能是嘉慶以後製的。腹壁格外地薄，可是還是一般性的模製方法。

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Category: Asian Art / Chinese Works of Art

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