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Lot Essay
With the random distribution of differently colored needles of varying thickness and length, "hair crystal" bottles provide an infinite variety of exciting patterns. The needle-like crystalline inclusions can be black (tourmaline), green (actinolite) and coppery red or silvery gold (rutile).
The inclusions in this remarkable example are tourmaline. The "hairs" here are concentrated in the lower portion of the bottle on one side, rising up from the base and thinning as they go. The effect is suggestive of reeds or long grass. The artist has set the scene by carving bamboo growing from the diagonal bank, offsetting a pine tree which grows from a rocky bank beneath clouds. The scene is enhanced by the small flaws in the stone which reflect light in brilliant, iridescent bursts.
Once in the collection of the well-known collector Alex Cussons, this well-hollowed bottle exhibits complete formal integrity, which is heightened by the constantly changing play of light reflecting off the iridescent flaws, giving it great presence in the hand. The mask handles, with their unusual stylized manes and elongated rings, are quite distinctive, and belong to a school of carving identified by Hugh Moss as "Group A" in Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Silica or Quartz Group, in which the present bottle is illustrated. The J & J Collection also includes two other examples from the school, which are illustrated by Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, nos. 103 and 104.
The inclusions in this remarkable example are tourmaline. The "hairs" here are concentrated in the lower portion of the bottle on one side, rising up from the base and thinning as they go. The effect is suggestive of reeds or long grass. The artist has set the scene by carving bamboo growing from the diagonal bank, offsetting a pine tree which grows from a rocky bank beneath clouds. The scene is enhanced by the small flaws in the stone which reflect light in brilliant, iridescent bursts.
Once in the collection of the well-known collector Alex Cussons, this well-hollowed bottle exhibits complete formal integrity, which is heightened by the constantly changing play of light reflecting off the iridescent flaws, giving it great presence in the hand. The mask handles, with their unusual stylized manes and elongated rings, are quite distinctive, and belong to a school of carving identified by Hugh Moss as "Group A" in Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Silica or Quartz Group, in which the present bottle is illustrated. The J & J Collection also includes two other examples from the school, which are illustrated by Moss, Graham, Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, nos. 103 and 104.