A glass overlay snuff bottle, Chinese, Qianlong, (1736-1795).

The bottle has a single overlay of blue on an opaque white ground, depicting on each side a phoenix amidst bamboo; the base incised with the four character mark of Qianlong, 5cm.

Beijing Palace Workshops.

The establishment of the Beijing Palace Workshops is well documented.

One of the earliest workshops was for the manufacture of glass, set up in the early 1680’s under the supervision of the Jesuit, Father Killian Stumpff.

The rather crude wheel-cut reign mark on this bottle is typical of the glass products of the Palace Workshops; numerous examples of which exist.

REFERENCE: CSBG.86

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