A TWO-COLOR OVERLAY 'FOUR GUARDIANS' WHITE GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE, 19TH CENTURY China. Of flattened ovoid form, rising from an oval foot to a waisted neck with everted rim, decorated with a blue azure dragon, a red and blue phoenix, a red qilin and a blue tortoise, interspersed with fire and the magic pearl, the details finely incised, all on an opaque white ground.

Provenance: Collection of Chris and Louise Randall, Florida. Rachelle R. Holden, New York. A collector's label from Rachelle Holden with inventory number '350' to the base. Rachelle Holden (1934-2020) was a famous collector of snuff bottles. She purchased her first bottle in 1974, finding the art form fascinating as it combined all the classic forms of Chinese art, and would continue to passionately collect them for the rest of her life.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, small nick to dragon's horn and foot.

Stopper: Jadeite stopper
Weight: 47.3 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 69 mm. Diameter neck 16 mm and mouth 8 mm.

The Four Symbols are four mythological creatures appearing among the Chinese constellations along the ecliptic and viewed as the guardians of the four cardinal directions. These four creatures are also referred to by a variety of other names, including 'Four Guardians' or 'Four Gods'. They are the azure dragon of the east, the vermilion bird or phoenix of the south, the white tiger of the west, and the black tortoise of the north, sometimes a fifth creature, the qilin is present. Each of the creatures is most closely associated with a cardinal direction and a color, but also additionally represents other aspects, including a season of the year, an emotion, or virtue, and one of the Chinese five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water). Each has been given its own individual traits, origin story and reason for being. Symbolically, and as part of spiritual and religious belief and meaning, these creatures have been culturally important across countries in the East Asian cultural sphere.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 25 November 2013, lot 177
Price: HKD 87,500 or approx. EUR 13,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A ruby-red and sapphire-blue overlay white glass 'dragons and bats' snuff bottle, Qing dynasty, 18th / 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the related motif, the use of red and blue color as overlay on white glass.



十九世紀白地套雙色“四聖獸”鼻烟壺
中國。直唇，束頸，削肩，壺身修長，底足略外撇，圈足。白地紅藍雙色雕琢四大聖獸，藍色飛龍，紅藍朱雀，紅色麒麟和藍色神龜，造型生動，神氣凜凜。

來源：弗羅里達Chris與Louise Randall舊藏；紐約Rachelle R. Holden收藏。底部可見Rachelle Holden 收藏編號“350 “。Rachelle R. Holden（1934-2020年）是著名的中國鼻烟壺收藏家。她於 1974 年購買了她的第一個鼻烟壺，從而發現了鼻烟壺其迷人之處，因為它結合了中國藝術的所有經典形式。之後，她持續不斷地收集鼻烟壺。
品相：品相良好，輕微磨損，龍角和足上有小缺口。

壺蓋：翡翠
重量：47.3 克
尺寸：高 （含蓋）69 毫米，頸部直徑16 毫米及壺口直徑8 毫米

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2013年11月25日，lot 177
價格：HKD 87,500（相當於今日EUR 13,000）
描述：十八世紀或十九世紀白地寶石紅和藍套料“龍和蝙蝠〞鼻烟壺
專家評論：比較相近相近的形制、白地紅藍雙色套料。