chine Molded porcelain, polychrome enamels and gilding. Rare double-snuffbox in enameled porcelain with court scenes. - 6.8 cm
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Selected by Peter Reynaers
Has nearly 30 years’ experience and moderated multiple online art research groups.
Estimate € 2,000 - € 2,500
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Rare double porcelain snuff bottle from Qing dynasty, circa 1800–1877, with two independent internal chambers and two quartz stoppers, measuring 6.8 cm in height and 3.1 cm overall width.
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Description from the seller
Rare molded and glazed Chinese porcelain double snuff bottle, Qing dynasty, 19th century, circa 1800–1877.
This remarkable snuff bottle is distinguished by an unusually intricate construction: it is made of two independent inner compartments, each served by its own neck and closed with a distinct stopper. It is therefore not merely a bottle with a double lip, but truly a functional double snuff bottle.
The flattened oval body is entirely animated by a rich molded relief decoration, enhanced with polychrome enamels in vivid colors and broad gilded accents. The decoration unfolds continuously around the bottle and forms a genuine panoramic scene.
On one face appears a significant ceremonial court scene, gathering a high-ranking figure surrounded by numerous officials, guards, and soldiers. The other face represents a lively palatial setting with ladies of the court, dignitaries, and figures moving among the architecture and garden elements.
The profusion of figures, the finesse of the modeling, the multitude of colors, and the gilded backgrounds give this small bottle a particularly decorative and narrative presence.
Both necks are adjacent but connect to two distinct cavities, an essential and sought-after characteristic of this typology. The bottle also retains its two stoppers in pale rose quartz, mounted on cork tenons.
The set belongs to the group of double porcelain snuff bottles molded and glazed, produced in China during the Qing dynasty in the 19th century. Comparable examples are preserved notably at the British Museum, the Princeton University Art Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, confirming the antiquity and interest of this typology.
Condition: good overall for its age. Normal wear, localized wear to the gilding and enamels, minor firing imperfections and some small chips at the necks. One neck shows a small ancient filling. No significant structural fractures of the body are visible. The two stoppers are present.
Dimensions: height with stoppers 6.8 cm; total width of the two necks 3.1 cm; mouth diameters 0.9 and 1 cm.
Weight: 75 g.
Provenance: English trade; private Belgian collection.
A particularly captivating Qing double snuff bottle, both for its two-reservoir construction and for the richness of its figural decoration, the preservation of its two stoppers, and its remarkable polychrome profusion.
video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/x44nrow2fwmgzz3sqyywa/AI5k63o0yVZXSCWLAkvPDMk?rlkey=228rmox08cv093d4zfwh1kuer&dl=0
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateRare molded and glazed Chinese porcelain double snuff bottle, Qing dynasty, 19th century, circa 1800–1877.
This remarkable snuff bottle is distinguished by an unusually intricate construction: it is made of two independent inner compartments, each served by its own neck and closed with a distinct stopper. It is therefore not merely a bottle with a double lip, but truly a functional double snuff bottle.
The flattened oval body is entirely animated by a rich molded relief decoration, enhanced with polychrome enamels in vivid colors and broad gilded accents. The decoration unfolds continuously around the bottle and forms a genuine panoramic scene.
On one face appears a significant ceremonial court scene, gathering a high-ranking figure surrounded by numerous officials, guards, and soldiers. The other face represents a lively palatial setting with ladies of the court, dignitaries, and figures moving among the architecture and garden elements.
The profusion of figures, the finesse of the modeling, the multitude of colors, and the gilded backgrounds give this small bottle a particularly decorative and narrative presence.
Both necks are adjacent but connect to two distinct cavities, an essential and sought-after characteristic of this typology. The bottle also retains its two stoppers in pale rose quartz, mounted on cork tenons.
The set belongs to the group of double porcelain snuff bottles molded and glazed, produced in China during the Qing dynasty in the 19th century. Comparable examples are preserved notably at the British Museum, the Princeton University Art Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, confirming the antiquity and interest of this typology.
Condition: good overall for its age. Normal wear, localized wear to the gilding and enamels, minor firing imperfections and some small chips at the necks. One neck shows a small ancient filling. No significant structural fractures of the body are visible. The two stoppers are present.
Dimensions: height with stoppers 6.8 cm; total width of the two necks 3.1 cm; mouth diameters 0.9 and 1 cm.
Weight: 75 g.
Provenance: English trade; private Belgian collection.
A particularly captivating Qing double snuff bottle, both for its two-reservoir construction and for the richness of its figural decoration, the preservation of its two stoppers, and its remarkable polychrome profusion.
video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/x44nrow2fwmgzz3sqyywa/AI5k63o0yVZXSCWLAkvPDMk?rlkey=228rmox08cv093d4zfwh1kuer&dl=0
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Culture
chine
Century/timeframe
XIXe siècle, vers 1800-1877 | Dynastie Qing
Name of object
Rare double-snuffbox in enameled porcelain with court scenes.
Acquired from
Auction house
Year acquired
2023
Material
Molded porcelain, polychrome enamels and gilding.
Country acquired from
Austria
Condition
Good
Previous owner acquired from
Private collection
Height
6.8 cm
Previous owner - year acquired
2010
Width
5.5 cm
Previous owner - country acquired from
Belgium
Depth
2.5 cm
I verify that I have obtained this object legally and that I am allowed to sell it
Yes
Authenticity
Original/official
Sold by
Disclaimer
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
