A FAMILLE VERTE 'DRAGON' SNUFF BOTTLE


Daoguang mark and of the periodOf compressed form with a rounded lip and a flat foot, the body wrapped with a single four claw dragon in famille verte enamels, surrounded by flames in green enamel, the foot with a four character mark in iron red. 2 3/8in (6cm) high
|清道光 五彩蟒龍紋鼻煙壺 《道光年製》款Provenance: William A Parker Jr.Distinct from the five clawed dragon, long, a motif of the emperor and his closest relations, the four clawed dragon, mang, was an emblem of those who obtained the highest ranks of the nobility at the Chinese imperial court. It is likely that bottles bearing the four clawed dragon were intended as gifts from the emperor, as explained in the note for a very similar bottle in Moss, Graham and Tsang A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol 6 part 3, no 1321.