Butterfly's

QING PERIOD 1644 to 1911

A MAGNIFICENT BUTTERFLY'S 珐琅彩 FALANGCAI SNUFF BOTTLE

The bottle of slightly rectangular flattened form.

The collar with pink petal flowers, green curls set against a blue dotted white ground. A necklace of blue lappets.
Indented red bordered panels on either side decorated with gaily coloured butterfly's.

The sides having an oval cartouche each bearing an elongated chilong in lime green on a blue dotted ground.
All set against a lemon yellow background with scrolling red curlicues

A four character Qianlong Period Mark in cobalt blue against a white ground under.

A Miniature Masterpiece

Formerly the property of a Japanese collector

Condition: Excellent.
No original cap.

A modern gold metal colour filigreed stopper is offered.

Refer Large Images for details, quality and condition, they also form the description.

Depending on your computer monitor / phone / etc colour may vary to actual.

Dimensions are maximum measurements

Height about: 6.2 cm
Width about: 4.7 cm
A$3,500


This superb bottle is comparable in quality to those bottles produced in the Imperial Workshops of the Imperial Palace, 造 辦 處 Zaobanchu .

Enamel snuff bottles painted with European scenes were a favourite of the Chinese Court and Chinese collectors in the Qing Period 1644 to 1911.
Snuff bottles were in great demand by western collectors starting in the 19th century and still are.
Snuff bottles with European style artworks were normally based on prints and books transported to China by travellers.
The demand for Chinese art and antiques exploded when the first appropriated artworks taken from the Summer Palace made their way back to England France etc.
Considered by all the major experts such as Bob C. Stevens (the Collectors Book of Snuff Bottlers 1976) and the major famous collections, such as Guo'an. Bloch. Meriem. J & J. to name a few.
The finest of all snuff bottles are those that are enamelled on copper, brass, glass, gold.
The art of enamelling was introduced to the Chinese Court in the Kangxi era 1654 to 1722, by the Jesuit Guiseppe Castiglione (Lan Shining).`