- 164
A DENDRITIC AGATE ‘LOG BOAT’ SNUFF BOTTLE OFFICIAL SCHOOL, QING DYNASTY, EARLY 18TH / MID-19TH CENTURY
Estimate
70,000 - 90,000 HKD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
very well hollowed, with a concave lip and a recessed, flat foot surrounded by a narrow rounded footrim; the carnelian stopper with a gilt-bronze collar
Provenance
Y.F. Yang, Hong Kong, 1988.
Collection of Joseph Baruch Silver.
Clare Lawrence, London.
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., 1992.
Collection of Joseph Baruch Silver.
Clare Lawrence, London.
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., 1992.
Exhibited
Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco, October 1989.
Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, The British Museum, London, 1995, cat. no. 263.
Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1997.
Chinese Snuff Bottles in the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, The British Museum, London, 1995, cat. no. 263.
Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1997.
Literature
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. 268.
Condition
There is a vertical streak of crystalline material in the original material on one narrow side. There is a practically invisible, minuscule nick on the inner lip. Otherwise the snuff bottle is in very good condition. The stone is of a deeper colour 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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
Formally and technically faultless and with exciting and intricate natural markings, this is another example of a natural design brought out from the material without any surface editing. The striated markings that qualify the material as agate permeate much of the stone. The natural, darker markings in the stone are sufficiently abstract to allow a number of possible interpretations. If one takes them as a figure in a log boat, then it might also have been seen originally as Zhang Qian.