1770-1850

This is one of a group of superbly hollowed, plain jade and jadeite snuff bottles which were introduced in the eighteenth century. The purity of the material, the thinness of the walls and its impressive translucency are enhanced by the simple fullness of the shape and the lack of surface decoration. Additionally, well-crafted plain bottles like this one present a perfect balance of function, form and texture, at a time where undecorated bottles of high quality were appreciated for their naturalness. A similar blue jadeite snuff bottle in The Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection of Snuff Bottles can be found on e-yaji.com, Part 1, p. 8, no. 31.4.160, in addition to a greyish-blue jadeite example, no. 31.4.174. Other examples in jade from this group include two illustrated by H. Moss et al. in The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, vol. I, New York, 1993, p. 112, no. 53 and p. 117, no. 56.