A YELLOW OVERLAY ON BLUE GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE1750-1800 Of opaque lemon-yellow on a clear blue ground, of flattened, rounded form with a cylindrical neck with a slightly flared mouth, and a neatly carved oval footrim, continuously overlaid with a butterfly flying above a branch of trailing leafy vines and melons; stopper. 2in (5.2cm) high 1750-1800 寶石藍套黃料刻瓜瓞延綿鼻煙壺一件 Provenance: Jade House, Hong Kong, October 11, 1991 Joan and Ted Dorf Collection, no. 122 Unlike glass snuff bottles produced in the Palace Workshops which tend to be classically formal, this example depicts a more naturalistic scene. It cleverly uses the soft tone of the overlay color to dramatic effect, being highlighted against a vivid cobalt-blue ground. The more evolved, but loose, design of the overlay carving suggests a late-eighteenth century date, and a workshop in Beijing, but outside the palace environs.