OFFICIAL SCHOOL, 1780-1850

Details

A SHADOW AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE
OFFICIAL SCHOOL, 1780-1850
Of rounded rectangular form, the horizontal markings in the stone on one side simulate a mountainscape, with a scene carved in low-relief below depicting an eagle grasping a small bear in its talons, with a second small bear scampering to escape.
2 3⁄8 in. (6 cm.) high, metal and tourmaline stopper

Provenance

Bob C. Stevens Collection, no. 558.
The Bob C. Stevens Collection of Fine and Important Chinese Snuff Bottles, Part II; Sotheby’s New York, 26 March 1982, lot 118.
Rachelle R. Holden Collection, New York.

Literature

H. Moss, Chinese Snuff Bottles of the Silica or Quartz Group, London, 1971, p. 37, no. 83.
B. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, New York, 1976, no. 558.
R. Holden, Rivers and Mountains Far From the World - The Rachelle R. Holden Collection, A Personal Commentary, New York, 1994, pp.138-139, no. 56.

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

The imagery on this bottle of an eagle (ying) and bear (xiong) together form the rebus 'hero' (yingxiong) thus making this bottle an appropriate gift to a member of the military. The topic is discussed by T. Bartholomew in Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2006, p. 126.

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