The Maiden

QING PERIOD 1644 to 1911

A SUPERB MAIDEN 珐琅彩 FALANGCAI SNUFF BOTTLE

An elongated circular bottle slightly wider at the shoulders narrowing towards the foot.
A young maiden dressed in blue and tan robes, hair tied in a chiffon decorated with a pale red peony.
Her right hand caressing the head of the young boy dressed in a pale yellow and orange tunic seated beside her.
A branching tree bearing pink plum blossoms behind a large rock formation in shades of grey, blue, black.
Verdant lush green growth.
A young boy dressed in a puce tunic edged in yellow, wearing blue pantaloons, seated cross legged playing his flute.
Far mountain range in the distance, a placid lake, two houses on the opposite bank, yellow and green bushes, small shrubbery and rockery.
Set under a pale blue cloudless sky.
The neck with red scrolling on a white ground, above a thin green necklace, a pale blue dotted border, above alternating ruyi heads in blue and brown.
The foot a thin green necklace above a blue dotted border.
A four character Qianlong Period Mark in cobalt blue against a white ground under.

Exquisitely painted in pastel colours, an outstanding appealing tranquil pastoral scene.

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

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: 7.4 cm
Width about: 3.9 cm
A$1800

Similar Bottles: Not seen


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).