1770-1840

Details

A GREEN-OVERLAY PINK GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE
1770-1840
The translucent deep-green overlay is carved through to the translucent dark pink body on one side with a scene of a scholar in a pavilion and a figure arriving with a goose, the reverse with a scholar and attendant beneath a large pine tree with a crane flying overhead.
2 ¼ in. (5.7 cm.) high, glass stopper

Provenance

Robert Hall, London, 2003.
Ruth and Carl Barron Collection, Belmont, Massachusetts, no. 3864.

Exhibited

Boston, International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society Convention, The Barron Collection, 23-26 September 2008.

Special notice

This lot is offered without reserve.

Lot Essay

The current bottle may have been created to be presented as a birthday gift. The crane and pine together represent longevity. According to Terese Tse Bartholomew in Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 180, the crane (he) and pine (song) combine to convey the message "May you enjoy a life as long as that of the pine and crane" (songhe changchun). The imagery can also represent a husband and wife and the wish for their longevity together, just as the crane and the pine persevere together. Alternatively, it could also be seen as a birthday wish to a ruler, as the attendant captures the crane for the elder figure to present to the official seated inside the pavilion.

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