Page 47 - Bonhams Chinese Works of Art December 2014
P. 47
8064 8065
8065
A banded agate snuff bottle
18th/19th century
Very well-hollowed, of rounded square profile with a straight neck,
very gently recessed rim, its raised oval foot surrounded by a
carefully rounded foot ring, the mostly honey-colored stone with a
slight grayish tinge streaked with two striking white bands around the
middle of the bottle.
2in (5cm) high
$1,500 - 2,000
Provenance
ex Mary Morrison Collection, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Banded agate snuff bottles were popular during Qing dynasty in
China particularly when the band was positioned to the middle of a
bottle. It was designed to resemble the jade belt worn by high-rank
court officials, and as such forming an auspicious wish for a higher
court position.
8066 8066
A carved cameo agate snuff bottle
19th century
The well-hollowed bottle designed in rounded square form, with a
slightly recessed rim, raised oval foot, one of its main sides utilizing the
natural opaque skin of the stone carved to present a monkey riding a
horse while looking back at a hovering bee, the mane and tail of the
horse rendered with carefully incised lines.
2 3/8in (6cm) high
$3,000 - 4,000
Provenance
private Pennsylvania Collection
The design of the bottle is a popular pun in Chinese culture for the
phrase of mashang fenghou by borrowing the pronunciation in
Chinese for being on the top of a horse (mashang), bee (feng), and
monkey (hou). It is applied to wish someone to be promoted to a
higher rank soon.
FINE Chinese Works of Art | 45