OFFICIAL SCHOOL, 1780-1880

Details

A CARVED SILHOUETTE AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE
OFFICIAL SCHOOL, 1780-1880
The light-brown bottle is carved through the mottled russet markings with a squirrel climbing to a cluster of grapes.
2 ½ in. (6.4 cm.) high, glass stopper

Provenance

Robert C. Eldred Co., East Dennis, Massachusetts, 28 August 2008, lot 279.
Ruth and Carl Barron Collection, Belmont, Massachusetts, no. 856.

Special notice

This lot is offered without reserve.

Lot Essay

As squirrels have large litters, the depiction of a squirrel with trailing vines may be a visual rebus for a wish for many sons and the continuation of the family line, the winding vines representing the family lineage. It has also been suggested that the squirrel and grape-vine motif conveys a wish for promotion to a higher rank.

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