An 'auspicious' rock crystal 'double-gourd' snuff bottle


Probably Imperial, attributed to the Beijing Palace Workshops, 18th/early 19th centuryWell-hollowed, finely carved in low relief on each main side with the character da (great) on the upper section and ji (good omen) on the lower section, all framed between paired chilong with split tails. 2 3/8in (6cm) high
|The double-gourd form was popular at the Palace Workshops during middle Qing dynasty. A large series of double-gourd shaped snuff bottles had been recorded in the Imperial Collection, with some bearing Qianlong reign marks. Compare a very similar crystal 'double-gourd' bottle, also carved with daji characters and chi dragons, from the J & J Collection, sold at Christie's, New York, 30 March 2005, sale 1464, lot 24. Compare also, a few 'double-gourd' hardstone bottles in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in Snuff Bottles. The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, no. 256, 257, 275.十八世紀/十九世紀早期 擬御製 水晶大吉葫蘆形鼻煙壺