A sapphire-blue-overlay clear glass bottle, 18th-19th century. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2013
Of flattened, rounded form on an oval footrim, the bottle is carved through the sapphire-blue layer to the clear ground with a swimming carp grasping trailing gourds or whisps of clouds in its mouth. 2¼ in. (6 cm.) high, coral stopper. Estimate USD 2,000.00 - 3,000.00
Notes: The fish has been a popular motif since the Neolithic times and used in pottery and bronze and across the range of decorative arts. The word fish or yu is a pun for abundance, surplus or plenty. Specifically, the word for carp, liyu, is a pun for "enormous profits".
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