Description
Glass; the opaque bubble-suffused body with a wide mouth, overlaid in transparent ruby-red on one side with a sage seated on a high bank of pierced rocks, beneath a pine tree, the reverse with an assistant on a rocky bank, brewing tea, beneath another pine, the foot rim crisply carved, attributed to the imperial glassworks, Beijing.
There is a group of red overlay glass snuff bottles which are linked by subject- matter, style and quality of carving and which, on account of these attributes are likely to have been made within the Imperial glassworks. All the subjects involve nature with finely detailed trees, rocks and flowers and are carved in a rich ruby- red colour linked to the monochrome reds which are confidently attributed to court production (see nos. 3, 9 and 10 above). The composition is painterly and they are likely to have been created after original designs. The technical finish, with undercutting of the overlay and the polish of the background is flawless, showing a high degree of skill. As the finest craftsmen were employed within the Imperial workshops it is likely that these bottles were made there.
This bottle conforms to all these attributes and exhibits a final touch of masterly originality in the disposition of a cluster of pine needles on each shoulder, replacing the usual mask and ring handles. For other examples of the group see Treasury 5, nos. 893-896.
