1730-1850

Details

A WHITE JADE BIXI-FORM SNUFF BOTTLE
1730-1850
The flattened bottle well carved as a crouching mythical creature with the body of a tortoise and the head of a dragon, with a pair of horns at the back of the head and a bifurcated beard below the open mouth which forms the opening of the bottle, the carapace with a slight median ridge and carved with cell pattern, the tripartite tufted tail flipped over the back edge of the shell, the stone of even white color
2½ in. (6.2 cm.) long

Provenance

Ralph M. Chait Galleries, Inc., New York, 21 June 1965.

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Lot Essay

For a discussion of bixi, the mythical beast with the head of a dragon, the tail of a qilin, the paws of a buddhistic lion, and the body of a tortoise, see the footnote to lot 1179.

A very similar bottle in white jade is illustrated by H. Moss, V. Graham and K.B. Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 1, Jade, Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 130-1, no. 51, where it is dated 1730-1850.

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