1700-1800

Details

**A RUSSET-BROWN AND GREENISH-GREY JADE "PEACH AND BAT" SNUFF BOTTLE
1700-1800
The well-hollowed pebble material shaped as a peach with a severed leafy branch wrapped around it, the stone with variegated yellowish-brown skin, the natural colors in the material cleverly used to emphasize the design, jadeite stopper
2 in. (5.1 cm.) high

Provenance

Joseph Baruch Silver Collection
Clare Lawrence, England, 1993
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., 1993

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Lot Essay

As explained in the note to lot 8, the peach symbolizes longevity. The bat (fu), one of the most popular rebuses in Chinese art, is a pun on the word for "blessings."
Despite the suitability of the form and the longevity-symbolism of the fruit, peach-form snuff bottles are not as common as one might expect. This example certainly ranks among the finest known, with the lovely pebble material used to its best advantage. The undercutting of the severed branch gives it an almost free-standing, cameo effect, standing out against the paler core of the stone.

More from Important Chinese Snuff Bottles From The J&J Collection, Part IV

View All