1760-1880

Details

**A FOSSILIFEROUS LIMESTONE SNUFF BOTTLE
1760-1880
Of flattened, spherical form with a flat lip and recessed, rectangular foot, one side gently carved to bring out the shape of a white rabbit, almost hidden in the impressionistic landscape, the stone of light and dark grey tones, glass stopper
2¼ in. (5.8 cm.) high

Provenance

Unrecorded Shanghai source, 1930
The Ko Collection
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd. 1998

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

Even without the slight carving, the evocative markings of this unusual specimen of fossiliferous limestone are entirely satisfying in their own right, and suggestive, perhaps, of a rocky landscape, or a variety of other subjects. However, by carving a single and rather impressive image of a rabbit on one side, the carver has transformed this bottle into one of the rarest masterpieces in the material. It seems strange that these fossiliferous limestones, with their endless different markings, did not tempt other carvers to pick out subjects more often, as they did regularly with agate and jade. The stone is actually quite soft, and could even be carved by an accomplished scholar using the "iron-brush" of the seal carver, so it seems strange that such aesthetes, who had a passion for strange natural stone formations, and natural paintings in marble or other materials, should not have interpreted this range of limestone bottles more often.

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