POSSIBLY IMPERIAL, 1760-1840

Details

A CARVED CORAL SNUFF BOTTLE
POSSIBLY IMPERIAL, 1760-1840
The bottle is carved and undercut with a continuous scene of flowering branches, a butterfly, three bats and the Three Abundances: pomegranate, peaches and Buddha's Hand citron. The coral is of even pale pink-orange tone.
2 3/8 in. (6 cm.) high, sapphire stopper

Provenance

Asiantiques, Winter Park, Florida, 2001.
Ruth and Carl Barron Collection, Belmont, Massachusetts, no. 3227.

Exhibited

Boston, International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society Convention, The Barron Collection, 23-26 September 2008.

Special notice

This lot is offered without reserve. 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.

Lot Essay

The meaning of the Three Abundances is explained by Terese Tse Bartholomew in In Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 31, stating that the Three Abundances (sanduo) combined with a bat (fu) means 'May you be blessed with The Three Abundances (fushou sandou). The Buddha's Hand citron, peach, and pomegranate together form the motif of the Three Abundances: blessings, long life, and many sons. The word for "Buddha's Hand citron" (foshou) is homophonous with "blessings" (fu) and 'longevity" (shou) combined. The peach symbolizes longevity, while the pomegranate, with its many seeds, represents many sons. The presence of the bat adds more blessings.

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