Lot Essay
This miniature bottle belongs to a series of small bottles produced in the mid-Qing dynasty. For a discussion of this group see Moss, Graham, Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, The Mary and George Bloch Collection, Vol. 5, Part 3, Glass, Hong Kong, 2002, pp. 594-601, where the authors note that black grounds are unusual for glass snuff bottles. An unusual miniature black-ground bottle with carved-cinnabar red overlay is illustrated ibid., p. 601, no. 965, as are small versions in black overlay on a pink ground, pp. 597-600, nos. 962-4.)