Page 110 - The Ruth and Carl Barron Collection of Fine Chinese Snuff Bottles: Part I

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A WELL-CARVED CARNELIAN AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE
1780-1850

The bottle is well carved in substantial relief through the reddish areas of the stone with
lingzhi-shaped clouds that rise from the base up to the fat shoulder framing a small reddish
marking in the stone on one side resembling the sun.
2¿ in. (5.4 cm.) high, glass stopper

$12,000-18,000

PROVENANCE:

Harry H. Ross, London.
SB Collection, England.
Robert Hall, London, 2011.
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., Hong Kong, 2012.
Ruth and Carl Barron Collection, Belmont, Massachusetts, no. 5331.

LITERATURE:

H. Moss, Chinese Snuff Bottles of the Silica or Quartz Group, London, 1971, p. 17, no. 32.
R. Hall, The SB Collection, Chinese Snuff Bottles XV, 2011, no. 4.

This type of bright red and white carnelian agate, also known as sardonyx, can be found on a small
number of skillfully carved snuff bottles. See, Moss, Graham Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff
Bottle, The J & J Collection, Hong Kong, 1993, p. 258, no. 162, for a goldfsh-form bottle, where
the authors note, “This distinctive type of rich coral-red and white carnelian seems to have been
hardly used before the Qing dynasty - although carnelian beads of a distinctly different appearance
are known from archaic sites. Several other objects are known, most of small size (although not all
as small as a snuff bottle), which could reasonably be dated to the mid-Qing period, but as a rule
the nineteenth century seems a more likely period to which to attribute them. The material may have
been imported from abroad. It is an extremely effective stone with its bright contrasts...As a rule the
distinctly separate colours are used to perform fairly obvious design functions.”

A related bottle of this material of pebble form carved with chilong from the Rachel Holden Collection
was sold at Christie’s New York, 21 March 2000, lot 168.

1780-1850年 玉髓瑪瑙巧雕靈芝紋鼻煙壺

(another view)

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