I.97
Carp in Lotus

Inlaid famille rose enamels on bronze, with gold (cloisonné); with a flat lip, slightly concave foot, and flat foot rim; each main side with a similary partially filled design of a quatrefoil panel containing a carp and lotus leaf beneath the sun, with a small area of formalized floral design above the panel, the narrow sides with bands of symbols possibly intended to evoke cash, the neck with a band of formalized lingzhi; the exterior exposed metal all gilt
Probably imperial, 1750–1850
Height: 5.93 cm
Mouth/lip: 0.49/1.30 cm
Stopper: gilt bronze, chased with a formalized shou (‘longevity’) character, made from half a garment button; gilt-silver collar

Provenance:
Robert Hall, 1984
Mary and George Bloch
Bonham’s, Hong Kong, 27 November 2011, lot 124
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd, 2011

Published:
Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch (London: British Museum Press, 1995), no. 366
Hugh Moss, Victor Graham, and Kao Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vi: Arts of the Fire (Hong Kong: Harold International Ltd, 2008), no. 1116

Exhibited:
British Museum, London, June–October 1995
Israel Museum, Jerusalem, July–November 1997