1750-1850

Details

A LARGE CARVED 'CHICKEN BONE' JADE SNUFF BOTTLE
1750-1850
Of rounded rectangular form, the bottle is carved on one side with two fruiting peach sprays, with the trailing leaves of one cascading down the reverse. The stone is suffused with a faint crackle and has pinkish, dark-grey and purplish markings on the side with the decoration.
2 13⁄16 in. (7.1 cm.) high, amethyst stopper

Provenance

Bob C. Stevens Collection, no. 1017.
The Bob C. Stevens Collection of Fine and Important Chinese Snuff Bottles, Part II; Sotheby’s New York, 26 March 1982, lot 145.
Rachelle R. Holden Collection, New York.

Literature

H. Moss, Chinese Snuff Bottles Number Four, London, 1966, p. 40, pl. J.
B. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, New York, 1976, no. 1017.
R. Holden, Rivers and Mountains Far From the World - The Rachelle R. Holden Collection, A Personal Commentary, New York, 1994, pp. 70-71, no. 22.

Exhibited

Tokyo, Mikimoto Hall, An Exhibition of Chinese Snuff Bottles From The Bob C. Stevens Collection, 22-31 October 1978, cat. no. 176.

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

The distinct color and texture of this jade, often called 'calcified' or 'chicken-bone' jade, was probably induced by subjecting the nephrite to a very high temperature, resulting in the distinctive and attractive appearance. This may represent an attempt to imitate the opaque grey and beige patina acquired by nephrite articles excavated from ancient tombs that had been transformed during the centuries in the damp earth.

For two 'chicken-bone' jade snuff bottles from the Stevens and McReynolds Collections, see B. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, New York, 1976, pp. 114-115. nos. 365 and 382 respectively.

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