A SAPPHIRE-BLUE GLASS ‘INTEGRAL DISH’ SNUFF BOTTLE, 18TH CENTURY China. The transparent bottle of rectangular form, with mask handles in the shape of mythical beasts on both narrow sides, the wider sides with integrated snuff dishes.

Provenance: From the private collection of Tuyet Nguyet and Stephen Markbreiter. Tuyet Nguyet was the founder and chief editor of Arts of Asia. She married Stephen Markbreiter, an English architect, in 1959 and moved to Hong Kong to work as a journalist. Arts of Asia’s first regular edition appeared in 1971. In the magazine, Nguyet sought to combine authoritative content from major experts with detailed coverage of the Asian art market. Tuyet Nguyet was an early member of The International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, attending her first convention in 1973, and was later elected as an honorary member.
Condition: Good condition with wear, surface scratches and minor nibbling to lip and mask handles.

Stopper: Blue glass cabochon, carved spoon
Weight: 94 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 80 mm. Diameter neck 22 mm and mouth 11 mm.

Circular panels framed by a raised border were a feature of early snuff bottle production, as we know from a Yongzheng-marked turquoise bottle in the Susan Ault Collection (Snuff Bottles of the Ch'ing Dynasty, p. 59, no. 38). The form is intriguing, particularly in light of the controversy over the evolution of the snuff dish. Both sides are distinctly concave and deliberately dished, and there seems no decorative reason for such a feature. Their creation would have required additional manipulation by the craftsman, with no discernible aesthetic advantage. In this case, at least, we may safely assume the intention of the maker to have been the provision of a bottle with integral, functional snuff dishes.

Auction result comparison: Compare with a related glass snuff bottle at Bonhams Hong Kong in Fine Chinese Art on 28 November 2011, lot 68, sold for HKD 212,500.


十八世紀寶石藍料開光鼻烟壺
中國。透明長方形瓶身，肩部瑞獸輔首，壺身一面扁平稍内凹，為鼻烟碟。

來源：Tuyet Nguyet 和 Stephen Markbreiter 的私人收藏。Tuyet Nguyet 是《Arts of Asia》的創始人和主編。1959 年，她與英國建築師Stephen Markbreiter結婚，並移居香港擔任記者。《Arts of Asia》第一期普通版於 1971 年問世。在該雜誌中，Nguyet 致力於將專家的權威內容與亞洲藝術市場的詳細報導相結合。Tuyet Nguyet 是國際中國鼻煙壺協會的早期會員，1973 年參加了協會的第一次大會，後來當選爲名譽會員。
品相：狀況良好，有磨損、表面劃痕，以及唇部邊沿和輔首處的輕微磕損。

壺蓋: 藍色玻璃, 雕刻小勺
重量：94 克
尺寸：含壺蓋總高80 毫米， 頸部直徑22 毫米，壺嘴直徑11 毫米

拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的料器鼻烟壺，見香港邦翰思Fine Chinese Art 2011年11月28日lot 68, 售價HKD 212,500。