1766-1840

This bottle belongs to a series of intriguing ‘coin’ bottles carved with the two sides of the Spanish silver dollar which, along with a gold counterpart, were standard international currency in trading during the 19th century. The present example, based on a 1765 Maria Theresa thaler, is rare within the group. More commonly such ‘coin’ bottles feature the portrait of Charles III, based on a 1781 coin. Jade ‘coin’ bottles are also unusual within this group; bottles of this type are usually rock crystal, but examples have been found in other types of quartz and, very rarely, in glass. For a discussion of this ‘coin’ group, see Moss, Graham, Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, the Mary and George Bloch Collection, Vol. 2, Hong Kong, 1998, pp. 154-157, no. 238.