1760-1880

Details

**A VERY RARE BROWNISH-WHITE JADE SEAL-FORM SNUFF BOTTLE
1760-1880
The well-hollowed bottle of rectangular form, each face inscribed in seal script, the flat foot also inscribed in mirror-image seal script to function as a conventional seal, with matching original stopper carved in the form of a tortoise on a rectangular plinth
2 5/16 in. (6.2 cm.) high (including stopper)

Provenance

Lee Collection, prior to 1960
Gurie Gallery, Montreal, 1960
Hy Feldman Collection, 1970
Victor Topper
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 3 May 1995, lot 576

Exhibited

Christie's, Los Angeles 2003

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Lot Essay

The form of this bottle is derived from the standard ancient form of seal which had a tortoise surmount. Of the few known examples of snuff bottles in seal-form, this is the most strictly seal-like and the only one with an original stopper identifying it beyond doubt as a dual-purpose object. Here, the inscription on the foot actually doubles as a proper seal, allowing for two of the playthings of the literati to exist in a single object. Considering the amusing and rather practical nature of this idea, it is perhaps strange that it does not occur more frequently.

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