IMPERIAL, JINGDEZHEN KILNS, QIANLONG FOUR-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN IRON RED AND OF THE PERIOD (1760-1799)

During the Qianlong period, under the directorship of Tang Ying at Jingdezhen, a series of spectacular enameled porcelain snuff bottles was produced in very small quantities for the Court. These set the standard for imperial production of porcelain snuff bottles that continued into the Daoguang period, although stylistically the designs and forms changed considerably over the century of their production. This rare example demonstrates the strong influence of Tang Ying's style and its quality of enameling.

A bottle with similar floral decoration and geometric floral side bands was sold at Christie's New York, Important Chinese Snuff Bottles From The J Collection, Part V, 17 September 2008, lot 72. See, also, a set of ten Jiaqing mark-and-period Imperial porcelain bottles, also produced at Jingdezhen, illustrated in Snuff Bottles in the Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1991, no. 90.