A FINE CHALCEDONY SNUFF BOTTLE

1740-1850

Details

A FINE CHALCEDONY SNUFF BOTTLE
1740-1850
The very well-hollowed bottle of extremely thin, high-shouldered, subtly tapering form with waisted neck and concave oval foot, the misty, greyish-white stone suffused with cloudy, beige markings in the center of each main side, stopper
1 15/16 in. (5 cm.) high

Provenance

Raymond Li, Hong Kong, 1980

Literature

Raymond Li, The Medicine-Snuff Bottle Connection. Chinese Miniature Containers. A Dual Role, p. 28, no. 86
Raymond Li, Snuff Bottle Terminology. Chinese and English Equivalents, p. 40, no. 71
Moss et. al., The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J&J Collection, vol. 1, no. 105
The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, Poly Art Museum, Beijing, p. 30

Exhibited

Christie's New York, 1993
Empress Place Museum, Singapore, 1994
Museum fur Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt, 1996-1997
Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1997
Naples Museum of Art, Florida, 2002
Portland Museum of Art, Oregon, 2002
National Museum of History, Taipei, 2002
International Asian Art Fair, Seventh Regiment Armory, New York, 2003
Poly Art Museum, Beijing, 2003

Lot Essay

With this extraordinary bottle, the artist has enhanced the form with the exceptional hollowing, making the walls practically paper-thin on the two main sides. The hollowing enhances the line of the silhouette by doubling it at the edges when viewed from the two principal sides, providing a bold outline to its slender form.

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