A PUDDINGSTONE SNUFF BOTTLE
This lot is offered without reserve.
A PUDDINGSTONE SNUFF BOTTLE

1760-1850

Details
A PUDDINGSTONE SNUFF BOTTLE
1760-1850
The grey bottle exhibits an attractive composition of medium-sized pebbles in colors of grey, orange and cream. The sides of the bottle are carved with mask and ring handles.
2 5/8 in. (6.6 cm.) high, agate stopper
Provenance
Lilla S. Perry Collection.
The Neal W. and Frances R. Hunter Collection; Sotheby's New York, 15 September 1998, lot 274.
Robert Kleiner, Belfont Company Ltd., Hong Kong, 1999.
Ruth and Carl Barron Collection, Belmont, Massachusetts, no. 2766.
Literature
L.S. Perry, Chinese Snuff Bottles. The Adventures and Studies of a Collector, p. 64, no. 45.
Exhibited
Boston, International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society Convention, The Barron Collection, 23-26 September 2008.
Special notice
This lot is offered without reserve.

Lot Essay

Puddingstone is the general term for a conglomerate of sedimentary flint pebbles in a matrix of chert - both part of the quartz family. Bottles carved from this striking material come in a wide variety of colors, textures, sizes and shapes. The stone's appearance is not dissimilar to plum pudding, from which it derives its name. The variation in size of the pebbles sets up an attractive counterpoint to the beige matrix and the combination of shapes and sizes creates a strong design that compliments the simple and tactile form.

For a range of bottles in this material, see B. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, New York, 1976, nos. 609-17. A similar bottle was sold at Christie's New York, The Ruth and Carl Barron Collection of Fine Chinese Snuff Bottles: Part IV, 15 March 2017, lot 301.

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