Bottle ID: 370

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CARVED, PRUNUS BRANCHES & ROCKS

Date: 1750-1850

Height: 66 mm

Turquoise, of flattened, ovoid form, with shoulders sloping to a cylindrical neck and with a neatly carved footrim, well hollowed and carved in low relief with a continuous scene of a blossoming prunus tree issuing from rockwork, with a pair of birds swooping amid the branches, a dragonfly alighting on a flower, the stone of bright turquoise with some black veins in the matrix.

Similar Examples:

Crane Collection no. 651
Sotheby's, London, November 14, 2000, lot 92, Collection of The Baronesses Sapuppo and D'Essen.
China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd., Beijing, October 21, 1996, lot 318.

Provenance:

Clare Lawrence Ltd.
Sotheby's, New York, September 15, 1998, lot 291
Neal W. and Frances R. Hunter
Georgia E. Roode, 1974

The Chinese referred to turquoise as lusongshi or ‘green pine stone’ suggesting that its color was green rather than blue, but it is clear that years of handling enhances the bottle’s color and patination. Turquoise bottles display a range of colors from blue (with a predominance of copper) to green (with more iron in its composition), and whilst the accepted “best color’ in the West is sky-blue, the Chinese seemed to be more flexible in their discernment. When copying turquoise bottles in porcelain, both blue and green seem to be a popular choice, whereas in glass the appeal of green is clear. The refined low relief carving shown here is very rare on turquoise bottles. Of particular interest is the clever use of the dark veins in the matrix to accentuate the prunus branches.

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