China, 1796-1820. Of double gourd form, each section with two lobed frames enclosing finely enameled mountain and river landscapes flanked by lotus and chrysanthemum blossoms issuing from vines, and set against a dense and vivid ground of tighter formalized floral scroll picked out in iron-red, all below a double lined upper rim and a lappet border above the foot.

The recessed base with an iron-red four-character Jiaqing nianzhi mark and of the period.

Provenance: I. M. Chait, Los Angeles, United States. A private collection in Bath, United Kingdom, acquired from the above and thence by descent in the same family. An old label from I. M. Chait with a lot number ‘39’. The I. M. Chait Gallery is a family-owned gallery and auction house based in Los Angeles, founded by Isadore ‘Izzy’ M. Chait (1946-2021) in 1969. Two years after he started casually selling Chinese antiques from his living room in 1967, Izzy launched his first Asian art gallery in West Hollywood, developing it into one of the top dealerships on the West Coast. Eventually he opened the highly successful I.M. Chait Gallery in Beverly Hills. Isadore also worked as an appraiser for museums, universities, and government agencies, including the Consulate General of The People’s Republic of China.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and minimal firing irregularities, little rubbing to the iron red, and few light scratches.

Stopper: Gilt bronze stopper with a shou sign on top and bats cast in high relief; this is most likely the original Imperial stopper, which is missing on the example shown in the literature comparison.
Weight: 41.2 g
Dimensions: Height incl. stopper 76 mm, Diameter neck 16 mm and mouth 8 mm.

The double gourd was a popular form for snuff bottles and one used frequently for Imperial vessels of all kinds. It was produced by the Imperial workshops from the Yongzheng period onwards and continued to be popular throughout the eighteenth century and beyond.

Literature comparison:
Compare a near-identical snuff bottle, also with a Jiaqing mark and of the period, illustrated by Li Feng Zheng on the website for his personal collection, 壺中宣豫 Hu Zhong Xuan Yu (‘spread the happiness inside the bottle’).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 23 November 2010, lot 94
Price: HKD 1,020,000 or approx. EUR 175,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A 'famille-rose' porcelain 'gourds and bats' snuff bottle, Imperial kilns, Jingdezhen, Qianlong iron-red seal mark and of the period, 1740–1775
Expert remark: Compare the related form and finely painted decorations. Note the Imperial Qianlong mark.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 26 May 2013, lot 218
Price: HKD 512,500 or approx. EUR 78,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Imperial famille-rose porcelain ‘double-gourd’ ‘cloisonne imitation’ snuff bottle, seal mark and period of Jiaqing
Expert remark: Compare the related form and Jiaqing reign mark. Note the similarity of the stopper on this bottle and the present lot.