chine Polychrome glazed porcelain, famille rose enamels (fencai), iron red and gilding Rare pair of Qing dynasty snuff boxes in famille rose porcelain with a yellow ground – “Children at - 7.8 cm

08
days
05
hours
42
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25
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Current bid
€ 100
Reserve price not met
Sarah Le Helley
Expert
Selected by Sarah Le Helley

Studied Asian art and art market management; researched art in Taipei; worked in auctions.

Estimate  € 5,300 - € 6,400
ES
€100

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This pair of Qing dynasty snuff bottles, dating to around 1780–1820, is made of polychrome famille rose porcelain with a yellow ground and depicts children at play beneath four-character Qianlong marks.

AI-assisted summary

Description from the seller

Rare pair of Chinese polychrome-enamelled porcelain snuff bottles, Qing dynasty, with a lemon-yellow ground and famille rose (fencai) decoration, bearing four-character iron-red seal marks reading Qianlong nianzhi 乾隆年製 under the bases.

The two bottles display a pleasing harmony of form and decoration. Slender and flattened in silhouette, each has a panel on its broad faces, outlined in iron-red and gilt, depicting children at play: two children on one face and three on the other.

The yellow ground is enriched with polychrome floral scrolls, stylised flowers and, on the narrow sides, small masks in slight relief and auspicious motifs. The fine painting of the figures, the richness of the palette and the balanced decoration give this pair a particularly elegant presence.

By comparison with several closely related early examples, this pair can be dated to the late 18th or early 19th century, with its stylistic centre of gravity corresponding to the end of the Qianlong reign and the Jiaqing period, circa 1780–1820.

The two snuff bottles come with their jadeite cabochon stoppers, well suited to the necks.

Dimensions: height 7.8 cm each.
Weight: approximately 31 g each.

Provenance: old Taiwanese private collection, formed mainly in the 1980s–1990s.

Very good overall condition considering age, with light old wear, minor rubbing to the enamels and gilding, and a few firing irregularities. Please examine the many detailed photographs carefully.

A detailed condition report accompanies the lot.

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 Translate

Rare pair of Chinese polychrome-enamelled porcelain snuff bottles, Qing dynasty, with a lemon-yellow ground and famille rose (fencai) decoration, bearing four-character iron-red seal marks reading Qianlong nianzhi 乾隆年製 under the bases.

The two bottles display a pleasing harmony of form and decoration. Slender and flattened in silhouette, each has a panel on its broad faces, outlined in iron-red and gilt, depicting children at play: two children on one face and three on the other.

The yellow ground is enriched with polychrome floral scrolls, stylised flowers and, on the narrow sides, small masks in slight relief and auspicious motifs. The fine painting of the figures, the richness of the palette and the balanced decoration give this pair a particularly elegant presence.

By comparison with several closely related early examples, this pair can be dated to the late 18th or early 19th century, with its stylistic centre of gravity corresponding to the end of the Qianlong reign and the Jiaqing period, circa 1780–1820.

The two snuff bottles come with their jadeite cabochon stoppers, well suited to the necks.

Dimensions: height 7.8 cm each.
Weight: approximately 31 g each.

Provenance: old Taiwanese private collection, formed mainly in the 1980s–1990s.

Very good overall condition considering age, with light old wear, minor rubbing to the enamels and gilding, and a few firing irregularities. Please examine the many detailed photographs carefully.

A detailed condition report accompanies the lot.

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 Translate

Details

Culture
chine
Century/timeframe
Fin XVIIIe – début XIXe siècle | fin Qianlong – Jiaqing, vers 1780–1820, fourchette prudente
Name of object
Rare pair of Qing dynasty snuff boxes in famille rose porcelain with a yellow ground – “Children at
Acquired from
Auction house
Year acquired
2025
Material
Polychrome glazed porcelain, famille rose enamels (fencai), iron red and gilding
Country acquired from
Austria
Condition
Very good
Previous owner acquired from
Private collection
Height
7.8 cm
Previous owner - year acquired
1980
Width
4 cm
Previous owner - country acquired from
Taiwan
Depth
1.6 cm
I verify that I have obtained this object legally and that I am allowed to sell it
Yes
Authenticity
Original/official
BelgiumVerified
514
Objects sold
88.89%
pro

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