1750-1850

Details

A BLUE-OVERLAY 'SNOWSTORM' GLASS SNUFF BOTTLE
1750-1850
The bottle is carved on one side with a scaly dragon rising from crested waves in pursuit of a flaming pearl. The reverse is carved with a fan-tailed fish wrestling a crab above further waves from which a turtle and a toad appear.
2 9⁄16 in. (6.5 cm.) high, glass stopper

Provenance

Bob C. Stevens Collection, no. 1001.
Fine and Important Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Bob C. Stevens, Part I; Sotheby’s Honolulu, 7 November 1981, lot 12.
Rachelle R. Holden Collection, New York

Literature

B. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, New York, 1976, no. 1001.
R. Holden, Rivers and Mountains Far From the World - The Rachelle R. Holden Collection, A Personal Commentary, New York, 1994, p.26-27, no. 2.

Exhibited

Tokyo, Mikimoto Hall, An Exhibition of Chinese Snuff Bottles From The Bob C. Stevens Collection, 22-31 October 1978, cat. no. 37.

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

The imagery of this bottle suggests a wish for success in future events. Therese Tse Bartholomew notes that the crab (xie) can be read as a pun for 'harmony' in addition to being a symbol for a successful completion of the civil service examinations (Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2006, p.42 and 91). The leaping carp (yu) can also be associated with abundance as well as a symbol of a successful passing of exams, resulting in a high rank represented by the dragon.

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