1760-1880

Details

**AN UNUSUAL CARVED AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE
1760-1880
Of flattened form with concave lip and recessed concave oval foot, finely carved through the brownish-black and off-white inclusions on one side with an elderly scholar and his young male attendant holding a fan, both seated on a rocky outcrop surrounded by pine branches and clouds, the other main side with a fisherman standing in the swirling shallows of a river catching a carp, his catch basket at his feet, coral stopper with glass collar
2 27/64 in. (6.2 cm.) high

Provenance

Hugh Moss Ltd.

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

This intriguing bottle uses the colored inclusions of the stone in a manner reminiscent of those produced by the Zhiting school at Suzhou. The handling of the striped, beautifully textured material and different tones of color on varying planes and the sculptural quality of the carving are traditionally associated with the Suzhou school. However, the flattened form and degree of hollowing here are a departure from Suzhou bottles, which tend to have more rounded bodies, and while the complex carving and extensive use of the natural colors in the stone resemble the Zhiting School, the style is not typical suggesting, perhaps, another Suzhou school. This flattened form appears in snuff bottles in a wide variety of materials during the mid-Qing period, both imperial and otherwise and was one of a number of popular standards.

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