PORCELAIN SNUFF BOTTLE
DAOGUANG MARK AND PERIOD (1821-1850)
6 cm high (without stopper)
The rounded white porcelain bottle is supported on an oval foot and surmounted with a cylindrical neck. Both sides are decorated in polychrome enamels with a large katydid. The base is inscribed with a four-character Daoguang seal mark in iron-red. Carnelian stopper with vinyl collar.
Bottles of this type are often referred to as 'cricket bottles.' The green variety depicted here can be described as a katydid guoguo or zhazui, which was highly valued for its singing qualities. Katydids appeared on snuff bottles from the late Qianlong period and became a favourite imperial subject during the Daoguang reign period.
Two similar examples dating from the same period are depicted in Hugh M. Moss, Snuff Bottles of China, London, 1971, p. 131, pls 316 and 318.
Provenance:
Formerly in the Kaufman collection, until 1981