A MOLDED 'CRANE' SNUFF BOTTLE, ATTRIBUTED TO ZHANG MIANYI China, 1820-1870. Of flattened form, the pear-shaped body rising from an oval foot ring, molded and carved around the side walls with a crane standing on a rock, the head raised towards the sun, the reverse with a crane standing under a pine with lingzhi, the bright yellow enameled bottle with carefully rendered details, their beaks, eyes, and feet heightened in black.

Provenance: British trade.
Condition: Very good condition with old wear, the foot smoothened, microscopic loss to the beak with associated touch up, and two tiny losses to the pine tree branches and a tiny nick to the edge of the rim.

Stopper: Coral
Weight: 32.0 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 77 mm. Diameter neck 12 mm and mouth 6 mm

The recessed base with an apocryphal four-character mark Kangxi nianzhi.

Zhang Mianyi was one of the porcelain carvers of the nineteenth century who appears to have produced very little work. He may have been influenced by Wang Bingrong, but with no dated works from either one of them, it is impossible to be certain of who influenced whom.

Literature comparison:
For a similar bottle signed by Zhang, of the same subject but differently composed and of caramel-brown color with black details, see Sin, Hui, and Kwong 1996, no. 123 (where the signature was misread as Zhang Menshao; the bottle is also in Miller and Hui 2006, no. 86, where the mistake is corrected).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 November 2011, lot 37
Price: HKD 143,750 or approx. EUR 24,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A lime-green porcelain 'crane' snuff bottle, Zhang Mianyi, Jingdezhen, 1820-1870
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, crane, details, and size (75 mm).



堆塑“松下鶴舞”瓷鼻烟壺
中國，1820-1870年。長頸，削肩，橢圓形圈足。通體淡綠色釉，堆塑松下舞鶴圖，鶴喙與鶴足施黑釉；圈足内“康熙年製“ 篆款。

來源：英國古玩交易市場。
品相：品相極好，有磨損，足部光滑，嘴部有輕微磨損和相應修飾，松樹枝的有兩個微小磕損。

壺蓋：珊瑚
重量：32.0 克
尺寸：高 （含蓋）77 毫米，頸部直徑12 毫米及壺口直徑6 毫米

文獻比較：
同題材、但構圖不同，焦糖色帶有黑色的細節，1996年的雕瓷作品有冼祖謙、許建勳、鄺溥銘，編號123 (張勉詒的名字念錯了，同壺在 Miller and Hui 2006, 編號86 再發表時就念對了)。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港邦瀚斯，2011年11月28日，lot 37
價格：HKD 143,750（相當於今日EUR 24,000）
描述：1820～1870年張勉詒景德鎮瓷胎模製淡綠釉瑞鶴圖鼻煙壺
專家評論：比較非常相近的外型、鶴、細節，以及尺寸 (75 毫米)。