Grasshopper bottle

[Brad]

This is the other bottle I bought.  This one definitely is white opaque glass.  It has a mold seam up each side, so I would guess that makes it modern.  The top does not fit snugly, so not sure if something is missing (perhaps cork?) or if it's a top that did not original belong to this bottle.  The spoon is brass and there seems to be some oxidation on it and at the point where it is attached to the top.  This would seem to indicate age, but I know patinas and oxidation can be faked easily by someone who knows what they are doing.

It's an attractive bottle.  Nice colors and it has an insect on it, so I do find it appealing.  I didn't pay much so it might be worth keeping even if it isn't old.  It does have a mark on the bottom which I can probably identify using the Perry and Stevens books.

Brad

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

Dear Brad,
    It says 'Qianlong nianzhi' but is upside down. It is not from the Qianlong Emperor's reign (1736-1795) needless to say. It is missing the cork, and it would be nice to be able to see the whole bottle.
Best,
 Joey

[George]

Would not be opaque, but simply white glass..

Can we see the whole bottle Brad ?

[Brad]

This is one side of it.  The other side just has flowers - looks like lotuses.  The combination of colors was nice, I thought.  And I'm always drawn to anything with insects or butterflies.

[Wattana]

Hi Brad,

Thanks for posting. Always nice to see other members' bottles.

I'd say with certainty that this is a modern bottle. But nicely decorated, and (sigh of relief) NOT trying to imitate an old bottle.   

Tom

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

Dear Brad,
 I agree with Tom, in everything said.
Joey

Hi Brad,

Thanks for posting. Always nice to see other members' bottles.

I'd say with certainty that this is a modern bottle. But nicely decorated, and (sigh of relief) NOT trying to imitate an old bottle.   

Tom

[Brad]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.  It's really not a bad looking bottle.  If it doesn't imitate an older bottle, it must not have been made with the intention to deceive.  Not being old doesn't mean it's not worthy of being in a collection, as long as it's well made and was not intended to fool someone.

The worst thing about it is the cap that does not fit tight.  Can anything be done about that?

Brad

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

Dear Brad,
    Cut thin strips of brown paper and glue around the metal post of the stopper, till you have the equivalent of a well fitted cork. In the old days, you would fit a cork to the mouth of the bottle, then carefully sand away the centre till you had a hole big enough to fit snugly around the post (and over the cup of the spoon). Even earlier, they had thin strips of cork, to do the same as the paper I described above.
Joey

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.  It's really not a bad looking bottle.  If it doesn't imitate an older bottle, it must not have been made with the intention to deceive.  Not being old doesn't mean it's not worthy of being in a collection, as long as it's well made and was not intended to fool someone.

The worst thing about it is the cap that does not fit tight.  Can anything be done about that?

Brad

[Fiveroosters aka clayandbrush]

Dear Brad,
I share your bad opinion about those stopper/spoon assembly. I really hate them. They are modern, all made in the same way; but this doesn't mean that when you find a bottle with that stopper you have to discard the bottle. Because most old bottles does miss the spoon, sometime sellers fits this new stoppers to make them more appealing.
Kind regards
Giovanni