Exquisite Chinese snuff bottles from the Mary and George Bloch collection once again take centre stage at Bonhams' sales next week.
The sale of Part I of the collection at the spring auctions in May was a phenomenal success, making it the greatest sale of Chinese snuff bottles to date.
Against presale estimates of HK$20 million, the sale raised more than HK$66 million. Part II, going under the hammer on Tuesday, is sure to create another sensation.
No snuff bottle collection of the modern era rivals that formed by the late George Bloch.
His collection of 1,720 bottles is widely regarded as the highest-quality collection in private hands. Part II of the sale consists of 155 bottles.
Highlights include Lot 68, a Beijing-enamel yellow-ground floral snuff bottle, dating from 1705 to 1718, from Kangxi palace workshops (estimate: HK$2.5 million to HK$5 million); Lot 121, a famille rose porcelain moulded and enamelled double-gourd snuff bottle, from 1736 to 1760 (estimate: HK$2 million to HK$4 million); and Lot 152, a famille rose enamelled gold-ground glass lotus snuff bottle, from palace workshops of 1736 to 1765 (estimate: HK$2.5 million to HK$5 million).