Late 20th Century Painted Enamel Opaline Snuff Bottle With Gu Yue Xuan Mark

The subject matter is quite interesting – it is the portrait of the most powerful emperor of the Tang Dynasty CE 618 – 907, Tang Taizong whose name is Li Shimin as it is written on the other side of the bottle. Li Shimin who ruled from 627 to 649. During his reign, he not only solved internal problems but expanded the power of China and regained all the territories that once paid tribute to the Han Dynasty. His twenty plus years of rule was powerful and the name Tang retains the prestige it still held, people of the Canton, present name Guangzhou region call themselves people of Tang and they speak the Tang language of Tang, commonly known as Cantonese, and recognized as a language separate from Putonghua, the common language of China today.

The bottle is made of opaline or milk glass and decorated with bright enamels in pinks and yellow and blue. It has small flattened globular shape with a tall flaring neck which widens at the top opening. The body tapers down to a short oval foot, encircling a four character seal written in blue of Gu Yue Xuan, a studio established in the 18 century by a Manchu Prince that produced fine porcelain and glass. The cap is a green glass that compliments the bottle.

Dating: post 1970

Dimensions: 1.5 inches wide 2.25 inches high