Lot 1

In 1980, Blanche (Babs) Exstein inherited snuff bottles from the Estate of Hilda Koch Somers. Mrs. Somers, a retired oriental antique dealer, had collected approximately 100 snuff bottles between 1945 and 1952. Babs applied her sense of taste, style, sophistication and her ever-increasing knowledge to shape and add to the collection over the subsequent decades. Babs had a special name for all her favorite possessions. Her favorite flower was the white orchid and she chose the Chinese equivalent Bailan as the name for her snuff bottle collection. The Bailan Collection, with its many snuff bottles attributed to the Beijing Palace Workshops, attests to her ability to recognize the finest examples. Some of her favorite subjects may be classified as feminine: flowers, birds, and butterflies, which form a leitmotif running through the collection. Born in the year of the Dragon, Babs was fascinated by these mythological beasts which also form an oft-repeated subject on her bottles. Among her favorites were the miniatures, frequently referred to as 'ladies bottles.' These bottles held a place of pride on her dresser so they could be viewed first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Among these, a small, faceted, imperial-yellow bottle was particularly prized (lot 6), as was an aquamarine crystal carved with a sage (lot 135). Other favorites were two inside painted bottles by Ma Shaoxuan depicting scholars gazing up at the sky (lots 87 and 89). Another of Babs' favorites were rock crystal snuff bottles. The concept of carving a solid stone as clear as glass, yet harder, as if air itself had been made into a snuff bottle, making it difficult to tell where the outside wall ended and the inside began, clearly encapsulates the elegance and refined technique so prized by Babs. Here, special accoutrements to the bottles are shown to their best advantage. Beautiful spoons and stoppers can be seen and appreciated on their own for the infinite care taken in their individual creation. Babs loved her snuff bottles. She spent endless hours changing spoons and stoppers, often many times, until she found one that she felt would be just right. Whenever a new snuff bottle was acquired it resulted in endless hours of arranging and rearranging her snuff bottle cabinets until she arrived at the display which most pleased her. Babs' snuff bottles were a love of her life and she never ceased to enjoy them individually or as the Bailan Collection. Over the years, Babs and I relied on the help of many dealers for advice in building the Bailan Collection. I am particularly indebted to Hugh Moss for his help in preparing the collection for sale. Louis H. Exstein New York, 11 February 2002

A RARE AND WELL-CARVED REALGAR GLASS BOTTLE

PROBABLY IMPERIAL, ATTRIBUTED TO THE PALACE WORKSHOPS, BEIJING, 1710-1780

Details

A RARE AND WELL-CARVED REALGAR GLASS BOTTLE
Probably Imperial, attributed to the Palace Workshops, Beijing, 1710-1780
Of high-shouldered tapering form, the body with horizontal striations of brilliant orange and olive green with mottled splashes of red imitating the mineral realgar, carved on the narrow sides with sinuous chilong, their tails forming the foot, stopper
2 3/8 in. (6 cm.) high

Provenance

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Christie's, New York, 24 June 1983, lot 993.

Exhibited

Chinese Snuff Bottles, Taipei Gallery, New York, October 1993.

Lot Essay

It is rare to find a realgar glass bottle with such finely carved and elegantly restrained decoration as seen on this example, decorated with a pair of chilong, a favorite Palace subject.

For a discussion of bottles based on the substance realgar, see H. Moss, V. Graham and K. B. Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle: The J & J Collection, New York, 1993, pp. 578-579, nos. 345-346.
Realgar was used by Daoist alchemists in an attempt to transform base metal into gold. It is the least toxic of all arsenic compounds but disintegrates to a fine powder on long exposure to sunlight.

For a realgar glass bottle still in the Imperial Collection, see Masterpieces of Snuff Bottles in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1995, p. 82, no. 58. For a series of five realgar glass bottles of various types, in The Victoria and Albert Museum, in bequests from 1901-1936, see H. White, Snuff Bottles from China, London, 1992, pl. 63.

More from THE BLANCHE B. EXSTEIN COLLECTION OF CHINESE SNUFF BOTTLES

View All