1780-1850

Details

A CARVED JASPER SNUFF BOTTLE
1780-1850
The bottle is of an overall yellow-ochre tone and is carved on one side using the green markings with a katydid next to a more shallowly carved cage laying on its side. A long peapod stem grows from a rock behind the katydid and extends to beneath the neck on the opposite side.
2 5/8 in. (6.5 cm.) high, jadeite stopper

Provenance

Robert Hall, London, 2009.
Ruth and Carl Barron Collection, Belmont, Massachusetts, no. 4942.

Special notice

Items which contain rubies or jadeite originating in Burma (Myanmar) may not be imported into the U.S. As a convenience to our bidders, we have marked these lots with Y. Please be advised that a purchaser¹s inability to import any such item into the U.S. or any other country shall not constitute grounds for non-payment or cancellation of the sale. With respect to items that contain any other types of gemstones originating in Burma (e.g., sapphires), such items may be imported into the U.S., provided that the gemstones have been mounted or incorporated into jewellery outside of Burma and provided that the setting is not of a temporary nature (e.g., a string).

Sale room notice

Items which are made of, or contain, rubies or jadeite originating in Burma (Myanmar) may not be imported into the U.S. As a convenience to our bidders, lots which contain rubies or jadeite of Burmese origin or of indeterminate origin have been marked with ?.

Lot Essay

Jasper is a fascinating material with a wide range of possible colors, even in a single specimen. On this example, the carver makes use of the green layer to depict the popular motif of a katydid and cage. For a porcelain example with this subject and a discussion of its symbolism see lot 322.

For a jasper bottle from the Hunter Collection showing a katydid with a cage, see B. Stevens, The Collector’s Book of Snuff Bottles, New York, 1976, p. 135, no. 482.

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