Porcelain Snuff Bottle with Birds and Grapevines, Apocryphal Qianlong Mark

Object/Artifact

-

The Curio Cabinet Collection

Name/Title

Porcelain Snuff Bottle with Birds and Grapevines, Apocryphal Qianlong Mark

Entry/Object ID

SB3503

Description

Flattened Chinese porcelain snuff bottle decorated in polychrome enamels with birds among fruiting grapevines, with clusters of purple and green grapes beneath broad vine leaves. Decorative floral and scrolling borders encircle the neck, while the mouth and oval foot are finished with brown-dressed rims. The recessed base bears a four-character underglaze-blue Qianlong mark (乾隆年製), considered apocryphal. The grapevine imagery conveys traditional associations with abundance, fertility, and numerous descendants.

Category

Chinese snuff bottle

Made/Created

Artist

Maker presently unidentified

Time Period

20th Century

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Continent

Asia

Culture/Tribe

Chinese

Inscription/Signature/Marks

The base is unusually clear and deserves to be recorded precisely: 乾隆年製 Qianlong nian zhi “Made during the Qianlong reign.” The conventional reading order is top-to-bottom in two columns, beginning at the right: 乾 年 隆 製 That is a four-character Qianlong reign mark, rather than the more formal six-character Da Qing Qianlong nian zhi (“Made during the Qianlong reign of the Great Qing”).

Dimensions

Height

2-1/8 in

Width

1-13/16 in

Depth

1-1/4 in

Weight

35 g

Accessories

Accessory

Wooden base

Materials

Material

Porcelain

Material Notes

Glazed porcelain with polychrome enamel decoration; brown-dressed rims

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Acquisition

Acquisition Method

Purchase