**A RARE AND UNUSUAL CARVED IVORY SNUFF BOTTLE

See an ivory bottle with very similar bands around the neck and base, and with an identical original stopper, in Moss, Graham and Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle. The J & J Collection, no. 284. While the bottle from the J & J Collection is catalogued as being a Chinese product, more recent research by the authors has suggested it is Japanese. The Japanese produced a large range of ivory bottles after 1854 for a collectors' market in the West, a common feature of which was sectional construction, with the hollowing achieved by using a wide opening at neck or foot, and then adding a separate neck or base. In this case the neck and shoulders are a separate section. The best of these, among which this example is counted, were previously thought to have been Chinese. See an ivory snuff bottle carved with a similar design of fishermen in a landscape, in Masterpieces of Snuff Bottles in the Palace Museum, p. 176, no. 180.

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.