Enamel on Metal Snuff Bottles-Year of the Dragon

[rpfstoneman]

Enameled Dragons-

An enameled brass [Nope, upon further detail inspection with a loop it’s gilded copper] based snuff bottle with two fierce five clawed dragons pursuing a rather large ‘Pearl of Wisdom’ across a clouded skyscape.  The pursuit is occurring just above a windswept sea with rocky sea stacks. Base has a double squared four character Qianlong Nian Zhi mark, "Qianlong Period Make", in blue enamel.  Bottle is 7.0 cm in height without stopper.

Period: Likely contemporary (post 1950 to 2008 when it was acquired)



An interesting note on a number of these enamels on metal bottles, I have a number of bottles with highly detailed, ornate, designs in with good color palates and they all have cheap, crappy, enameled stoppers.  I know the stoppers are often made at separate workshops, but you would think there would be an attempt to match a great looking bottle with a matching quality stopper! 

Comments and corrections always welcomed.  Enjoy Charll

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

Charll,
    That bottle is stunning! I would agree with the dating, but it is superb quality. The stopper looks nice too. The bottle is so fine it is scary! Glad I don't collect enamelled wares - if the person who produced that bottle was able to access a genuine 18th C. example, he could copy it no problem. I never thought I'd see a late 20th/early 21st C. enamelled metal bottle which could tempt me; modern (1950s-1980s) enamel on glass - I have an example, and have seen others I'd want. But till now, not on metal. Somehow, the modern enamelled wares on glass look better than their counterparts on metal. But this is at a whole new level.
Thank you for sharing that bottle,
Joey

[George]

It really is a beauty Charll !

[Steven]

LOVE the bottle! the best example the modern enamel o metal, I would say better looking than the old ones.

I have seen some example of the 18th and 19th Enamel on metal, but the painting just won't pleased me, maybe there is few outstanding ones, but I have to say that most of them just not that exacting.

That is why I don't have any example of the Enamel on metal, if I meet something like this, I will hunt one for myself.

-Charll,

Can I ask how much you paid for this bottle?

Steven

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

Steven,
   If you've not seen any 18th/19th C. enamel on metal snuff bottles that grabbed you, you've not seen really great ones!
The finest quality examples of any art form, IMHO, would grab anyone interested in beauty. Possibly excepting really abstract modern art. That stuff usually leaves me cold. Although I have seen some examples which really impressed me.
 Shabbat Shalom, Joey

[Steven]

Dear Joey,

I guess that you are right, I will do some research and try to find some museum quality enamel on metal. Will see if it impressed me

Shabbat Shalom,

Steven

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

Steven,
   I myself am not impressed by the enamelled bottles with Western figures, but I am impressed with the Kangxi and Yongzheng enamels on copper or gold with floral designs.  See if you can find examples illustrated on the internet, possibly from Bloch or the National Palace Museum.
 Best, A Good Week,
Joey

[rpfstoneman]

A variation on the same theme-



An enameled and gilded copper based snuff bottle with a two fierce five clawed dragons (one brown and one blue) pursuing a rather large ‘Pearl of Wisdom’ across a clouded skyscape.  The pursuit is occurring just above a windswept sea with rocky sea stacks. Base has a double squared four character Qianlong Nian Zhi mark, "Qianlong Period Make", in blue enamel. 

Bottle is 6.0 cm, or just 2.36 inches in height without stopper. The base is 1.6 cm (0.63 inches) in diameter.



Enjoy, Charll

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

Another beautiful contemporary enamelled copper snuff bottle, Charll.
 Wonderful, Joey

[Steven]

BEAUTIFUL indeed!!

I am curious if its a 18th or 19th enamel  on copper, what is the original stopper should be, metal one or matched enamel on copper? or either could be possible?

Steven 

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

Steven,
   All the stoppers I've seen on Imperial enamelled wares were repousee gold or gold plated brass, with a dimple  or 'nipple' at the apex and molded around it with writhing dragons. Or, finely carved hardstone stoppers again with a 'nipple' from a tiny garnet or a seed pearl. They were called 'Imperial nipple stoppers' by Hugh Moss, probably to be amusingly risque, or  possibly that is the literal translation from the Chinese original. The name caught on.
  I've bought numerous bottles which were Imperial workshops, or at least attributed to them, and they all had such stoppers.
  Best, Joey

[Steven]

Thanks Joey for you info.

What do you think of this bottle?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item3f16366418&item=270955602968&nma=true&pt=Asian_Antiques&rt=nc&si=UixCDf58dnxhEAeddwJN1zPFnik%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_4464wt_1216

Looks kind of modern to me, very well painted.

Steven

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

Dear Steven,
    Did you notice the Shou symbol on the stopper? This style is also found, in addition to the examples I gave before, on Imperial enamels from 18th & 19th C.
This bottle is ca. 1950-1990, but as you wrote, very well painted. The lack of shading gives it away. The different colours would each be shaded from strong to light, according to the dictates of the design.
  Tonight and tomorrow we commemorate the over 23,000 Israeli soldiers and civilians killed defending our country from it's enemies since 1917 or during terrorist attacks. We are a population of 6.3 million Jews, and 1 million Israeli Arabs, so that is a big number. Everyone has someone they are mourning. I'm sure it was like that for people in China after 1945.
  Tomorrow night at this time, we will get ready for our Independence Day celebrations. That is one of our big secular holidays, and for many is like a Religious holiday without the restrictions, since we see our return and success after so long, as a miracle from G-D.
   650,000 Jews beat 20 million Arabs in 1948; 1.5 million Jews beat 30 million Arabs in 1956 (in 11 days); 2.5 million Jews beat 50 million Arabs in 1967 (in 6 days!); 3 million Jews beat 70 million Arabs in 1973, even though they attacked us on our holiest day in the year, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, when we fast 26 hours (no food, water, sex, smoking); That took us over 3 weeks against 65 million Arabs. They never learn that they'll never succeed.
Joey