AN ENAMELLED GLASS 'COURT LADY' SNUFF BOTTLE, YANGZHOU SCHOOL, SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

Opaque white glass with painted polychrome enamels in very thin relief. China, ca. 1770-1795

Delicately painted to depict a court lady in a traditional dress standing in a palace garden, with the entrance to a building in the background, revealing a small stool and a table with a food container and a bowl, the scene surrounded by rockwork and a tree, the backside with a sage and an elevated small table showing a teapot, a teacup and a small bowl. The neck with a neatly painted floral border. The base with an iron red horizontal seal script four-character Qianlong mark and of the period.

Shape: Flattened rectangular shape
Hollowing: Standard
Mouth, neck and lip: Short cylindric neck with sprawling lip, slanted lip, flat top and cylindric mouth
Base: Small oval convex base
Design, marks, school: While the majority of the bottles from this group bear the Guyue Xuan hall mark, this is one of the rarer examples bearing a Qianlong mark
Stopper: Carved coral cabochon depicting a Chilong in high relief in a bronze mounting, possibly matching
Height of the bottle with stopper: 7.6 cm.
Width of the mouth: 7 mm.
Width of the neck: 16 mm.
Condition: Excellent condition, slight wear to enamel painting
Provenance: American private collection

Literature comparison: Snuff Bottles from the Mary & George Bloch Collection: Part VII. Sotheby's, HONG KONG, November 26th, 2013, lot 109. (for another bottle from this group bearing a Qianlong mark) Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. Sotheby's, LONDON, May 16th, 2007, lot 273. (for a bottle from the same group, bearing a Qianlong mark, with the depiction of the immortal Liu Hai) THE COLLECTION OF SNUFF BOTTLES OF FRANCA ARENA A.M. Bonham's, Sydney, Mai 3rd, 2016, lot 17. (for a bottle from the same group, bearing a Qianlong mark, also with the depiction of a noble lady) The Ruth and Carl Barron Collection of Fine Chinese Snuff Bottles: Part III. Christies, New York, September 14th, 2016, lot 572. (for a bottle from the same group, bearing a Qianlong mark, with the depiction of several sages)

乾隆款及年代揚州玻璃胎琺琅彩"園中貴婦"鼻烟壺
品相極好，琺琅彩稍有褪色
美國私人收藏