1760-1840

Details

A CARVED AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE
1760-1840
The bottle is of light honey-brown color and carved on one side with a horse tied to a hitching post beneath a banner with the four characters jun de liang cai, referring to the handsomeness and great qualities of the horse, the design using the orange-russet markings in the stone as highlights.
2 ½ in. (6.3 cm.) high, glass stopper

Provenance

Robert Kleiner, Belfont Company Ltd., Hong Kong, 1994.
Ruth and Carl Barron Collection, Belmont, Massachusetts, no. 1157.

Special notice

This lot is offered without reserve.

Lot Essay

The decoration of a tethered horse is a popular motif on Chinese snuff bottles. The image is representative of unrealized potential and expresses the wish for the deserving owner to have a quick promotion. For a discussion of this imagery see M. Hughes, The Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Chinese Snuff Bottles, Hong Kong, 2009, p. 106.

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