PROBABLY IMPERIAL, 1760-1850

Details

A CARVED AMETHYST MELON-FORM SNUFF BOTTLE
Probably Imperial, 1760-1850
The melon-form bottle is carved in relief with two butterflies flittering amidst fruit-laden leafy vines. The translucent stone is of pale purple color suffused with faint cloudy inclusions.
2 in. (5.1 cm.) high, jadeite stopper

Provenance

Martin Schoen Collection; acquired from Belle Schoen, New York, 1988.

Special notice

Items which contain rubies or jadeite originating in Burma (Myanmar) may not be imported into the U.S. As a convenience to our bidders, we have marked these lots with Y. Please be advised that a purchaser¹s inability to import any such item into the U.S. or any other country shall not constitute grounds for non-payment or cancellation of the sale. With respect to items that contain any other types of gemstones originating in Burma (e.g., sapphires), such items may be imported into the U.S., provided that the gemstones have been mounted or incorporated into jewellery outside of Burma and provided that the setting is not of a temporary nature (e.g., a string).

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Lot Essay

This well-carved bottle is part of a series of amethyst bottles of pale, mottled material that often feature superb carving. Many of the group are fruit forms, suggesting a likely Palace origin, or at least a group made for the Court.
The gourd symbolizes fertility, because of the many fruit that grow from a single vine, while the butterfly is a symbol of longevity, based upon a pun on its pronunciation, which sounds the same as the character for the ages of seventy or eighty.

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