China, Beijing. Of flattened spherical form, supported on an oval foot ring, and surmounted by a cylindrical neck with a flat lip. The sandwiched glass with attractive splashes and swirls of green, blue, aubergine, and ochre between two clear layers.

Provenance: From the collection of a prominent snuff bottle collector in New York, USA.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, light nibbling to the mouth and expected manufacturing irregularities.

Stopper: Glass
Weight: 75.6 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 67 mm. Diameter neck 17 mm and mouth 6 mm.

Sandwiching different colors of ground glass between two layers of clear glass was a technique used in snuff bottle production from early in the snuff bottle period to late in the Qing dynasty, and large numbers of these bottles were produced at the Imperial glassworks for distribution on a grand scale as gifts, with no two bottles ever being precisely alike.

The colorful, variegated swirls provide a wealth of potential as the abstract markings are capable of transformation into a myriad of subjects through sheer imagination. The random patterns on this bottle for example may resemble spontaneous brush strokes, drifting incense smoke, or goldfish swimming amidst weeds in a pond.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 17 September 2008, lot 54
Price: USD 7,500 or approx. EUR 9,800 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An unusual sandwiched glass snuff bottle, 1730-1860
Expert remark: Compare the closely related splashed and swirled decoration. Note the black threads and the size (5.5 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 21 March 2013, lot 1055
Price: USD 6,875 or approx. EUR 8,300 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A sandwiched brown-splashed transparent yellow glass snuff bottle, Imperial glassworks, Beijing, 1720-1840
Expert remark: Compare the closely related splashed and swirled decoration. Note the color and size (56 mm).