A CHALCEDONY ‘PEANUT AND JUJUBE’ SNUFF BOTTLE OFFICIAL SCHOOL, QING DYNASTY, MID-18TH / 19TH CENTURY

well hollowed, with a flattened oval area of the design functioning as a foot, carved with a cameo design of peanuts, some without shells, and flower heads on a ground composed of interlocking jujubes; the coral stopper carved in the form of a dragon’s head

Arts of China, Hong Kong, 1984.

Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 2, Hong Kong, 1998, no. 329.

The snuff bottle is in good condition. The lip and footrim are in good condition. The actual colour is less red, more brown compared to the catalogue illustration.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present bottle belongs to a group of bottles known to collectors as 'Peanut Agates', which appear to have been popular during the mid-Qing period and possibly well into the nineteenth century.

In this example, the jujubes that make up the ground plane are mainly drawn by incised lines, although very slight rounding at the edges creates an illusion of greater three-dimensionality than they actually have. Superimposed on this ground are small peanuts carved from the opaque beige material common to this group. It is also of a somewhat more symmetrical form than most, although still a pebble shape in the sense that the overall form resembles a natural pebble. Because of the greater formality of shape and more regulated depth of carving of the relief detail here, the hollowing of this bottle is unusually painstaking for the group, which is always functionally hollowed, but seldom very well hollowed.