A THREE-COLOR OVERLAY ‘PEONY AND LOTUS’ GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE, 1760-1810Transparent glass with transparent overlays, carved in high reliefChina, 1760-1810Of compressed ovoid form with flat, slightly convex lip and recessed foot surrounded by a sapphire-blue foot rim, both sides carved with a peony blossom in reddish-pink, above lotus flowers with their stems and leaves in pale green, carved in almost incredible fine detail, both through and within the overlay, all against the bubble-suffused ground.This bottle is part of a group of late Qianlong bottles with heavily bubbled grounds, and bright, multi-colored overlays. Certain groups of these mid-Qing glass bottles have been attributed to the Xin or Le family of glass carvers. They are mentioned by nineteenth-century snuff connoisseur Zhao Zhiqian in his Yonglu xianjie where he writes that these families were famous during the Qianlong period. The Xin family overlays according to Zhao Zhiqian, "are the most cleanly done, and, as their colors are made out of crushed gems, the luster dazzles the eye". The Le family overlays, on the other hand, "have a lotus powder ground as white as frozen snow. The way the colors are arranged is also quite extraordinary, with red, purple, sky-blue, and kingfisher-blue alternating one with the other in a natural fashion."Shape: Compressed ovoid formHollowing: StandardMouth, neck and lip: Neck succinct o body, with very wide mouth and slanted lipBase: Oval with raised foot rimDesign, marks, school: Possibly Ye or Xin family of glass carversStopper: Very nice old stopper made of bronze, coral and pearl, no spoonHeight of the bottle with stopper: 7.1 cm.Width of the mouth: 8 mm.Width of the neck: 11 mm.Weight: 42.5Condition: Perfect condition, with possibly some microscopic nibbling due to open bubbles or manufacturing flawsProvenance: American private collectionAuction result comparison: The Meriem Collection Important Chinese Snuff Bottles. Christies, New York, 19 September 2007, lot 638. (for a similar bottle)牡丹蓮花雪地三色套料玻璃鼻烟壺,1760-1810透明玻璃,透明套料,深浮雕中國,1760-1810壺型:壓縮卵形掏膛:規整壺口、頸與唇部:頸部簡潔,寬口,撇唇底足:橢圓形圈足造型、落款及流派:可能為葉氏或辛氏料器鼻烟壺家族壺蓋:非常精美的由青銅、珊瑚及珍珠製成的老蓋,無杓壺高(含壺蓋): 7.1 厘米口徑:8 毫米壺頸寬:11 毫米重量:42.5品相:完美,有些許因爲氣泡緣故出現的製作缺陷及磕碰來源:美國私人收藏