Porcelain Modelled Scabbard For A Sword

[George]

I am making this post so as to be able and link to it from an image adding to the forums sidebar..

With permission from Joey, and from his collection, no. 102 within his "In Search Of A Dragon".

It is just a super nice, and extra appealing piece !

A little info.....

Porcelain, modelled as a scabbard for a sword. Decorated in underglaze blue and white with stylised floral mon on an interlocked key-fret ground, the spoon taking the place of the sword, with the hilt modelled in cloisonne enamel with a silver inlaid pommel forming the stopper, the guard of quatrefoil section.

Possibly Imperial and dating 1760 to 1820

A rectangular censer with the mark of Xianfeng ( 1851-1862) decorated in underglaze blue and white whith a similar pattern is illustrated by Simon Dwan, Imperial Porcelain of Late Qing, no. 86.

Only two other snuff bottles of this shape appear to have been recorded. One with an almost identical scabbard, but with the stopper, (hilt) in matching porcelain, is illustrated by Denis Low, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect, Vol lll, no. 212. The other with a robins egg glaze is illistrated by Bob Stevens, the Collector's Book Of Snuff Bottles, no. 266.