A hair crystal snuff bottle 1740-1780

of rounded rectangular form set upon an oval foot, the well-hollowed bottle revealing crossing hairs suffused through the ash-colored stone, becoming tightly packed at the neck

Sotheby's New York, November 1991, lot 125;
Robert Kleiner Ltd. 1992

This bottle is outstanding in its balance between very thin walls and the extreme density of the black tourmaline needles, creating a bottle light in weight yet dark in tone. Compare a bottle with this superlative use of material, from the Pamela Lessing Friedman collection, exhibited Robert Hall Ltd., Chinese Snuff Bottles IV, no.24.