Details
A Rare Shadow Agate Bottle
1770-1850
Of flattened rounded rectangular shape, a delicate brown inclusion lightly edited to depict Liuhai and his mythical three-legged toad, tempting him with a string of cash thrown above in the air, some small vertical inclusions on the back, stopper
2in. (6.5cm.) high

Lot Essay

No other shadow agate example of this extremely high quality depicting Liuhai carved from the dark inclusions appears to be published.

For a somewhat different Suzhou agate bottle carved in relief with Liuhai dangling his string of cash to tempt his mythical three-legged toad, see Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, British Museum, London, 1995, Catalogue, pp. 416-417, no. 273. For a black and white jade bottle, rather than the more subtle 'Mack' shadow example, carved in relief with an exceedingly similar portrayal of Liuhai standing on the back of his mythical toad, swinging a cord strung with three cash above his head, see Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, Hong Kong, 1993, vol. I, pp. 72-73, no.26

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