Chinese famille rose moulded porcelain snuff bottle with Romance of the Three Kingdoms scene
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
Qianlong-Jiaqing period
This Chinese snuff bottle is crafted from moulded porcelain and finished in the vibrant famille rose enamel palette. Dating to the Qianlong-Jiaqing period, the piece is finely decorated in high relief with narrative scenes derived from the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'.
The obverse features an illustration of Liu Bei and Guan Yu meeting Zhou Yu and his attendant in boats upon a river. The reverse depicts Zhuge Liang seated in a rocky landscape surrounded by pine trees, reflecting on the peril posed to Liu Bei. The bottle features a four-character Qianlong mark in red on the base. It stands at a height of 7 cm and is accompanied by an associated stopper topped with a pink glass cabochon, completing the piece.
The intricate moulded detail and polychrome enamel work are characteristic of the fine craftsmanship of the period.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Height
- 7 cm
- Stopper
- associated with glass cabochon
- Material
- moulded porcelain
Technical characteristics
- Mark
- four-character Qianlong mark in red to base
Design
- Obverse
- Liu Bei and Guan Yu meeting Zhou Yu and his attendant in boats
- Reverse
- Zhuge Liang seated in a rocky landscape among pine trees
- Technique
- famille rose enamels, moulded high relief
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.