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Lot Essay
See the footnote to lot 57 for a discussion on amber.
This is part of a rare group of mid-Qing animal-form snuff bottles, the majority of which are in white nephrite. See a white nephrite bear-form bottle illustrated in Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle. The J & J Collection, Vol. 1, no. 1, and another in the Bloch Collection, illustrated by Moss, Graham, Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Vol. 1, Jade, no. 42. The execution of the carved design on all three bottles suggests that they were based on the same model, with the stance, placing of limbs and carving of the head bearing strong similarities.
Other examples of animal-form snuff bottles in amber are known, although they are considerably rarer than their jade counterparts. See a bat-form bottle formerly from the Meriem Collection, sold in these rooms, 19 March 2008, lot 518, and a squirrel-form bottle illustrated by Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, Vol. II, no. 287. See also a pig-form bottle illustrated by R. Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of John Ault, no. 102; and two boar-form bottles, the first illustrated by B. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, no. 467, and the second sold in these rooms, 3 December 1992, lot 376.
This is part of a rare group of mid-Qing animal-form snuff bottles, the majority of which are in white nephrite. See a white nephrite bear-form bottle illustrated in Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle. The J & J Collection, Vol. 1, no. 1, and another in the Bloch Collection, illustrated by Moss, Graham, Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Vol. 1, Jade, no. 42. The execution of the carved design on all three bottles suggests that they were based on the same model, with the stance, placing of limbs and carving of the head bearing strong similarities.
Other examples of animal-form snuff bottles in amber are known, although they are considerably rarer than their jade counterparts. See a bat-form bottle formerly from the Meriem Collection, sold in these rooms, 19 March 2008, lot 518, and a squirrel-form bottle illustrated by Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, Vol. II, no. 287. See also a pig-form bottle illustrated by R. Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of John Ault, no. 102; and two boar-form bottles, the first illustrated by B. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, no. 467, and the second sold in these rooms, 3 December 1992, lot 376.