A DENDRITIC CHALCEDONY ‘DUCKS’ SNUFF BOTTLE OFFICIAL SCHOOL, QING DYNASTY, EARLY 18TH / MID-19TH CENTURY

very well hollowed, with a concave lip and a recessed flat foot, the natural markings in the stone edited on one main side to create a silhouette of two ducks, and on the other with a natural scene of a figure seated in a sampan on a lake; the coral stopper carved with a chilong, with a gilt-bronze collar

Collection of Gerd Lester.
Christie’s New York, 24th June 1983, lot 990 (part lot).

Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch at the Galleries of Sydney L. Moss, Ltd., Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 1987, no. 158.
Creditanstalt, Vienna, 1993.

Hugh Moss, ''Ink Play' Agates', Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, Autumn 1997, p. 8.
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. 272.

The overall condition is very good. The stone has some natural variegated inclusions, including two tiny rough patches to the back. The actual colour is deeper, and more brown, less red, when 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 is a masterpiece of its genre. With only slight editing to interrupt the formal integrity of the surface, the artist has created two birds, probably intended as ducks. This example represents a fairly standard approach to creating silhouettes from natural material, where a thin plane of colour has been edited, usually, as in this case, by lowering the surface slightly to eliminate unwanted colour around the profile of the subject. The nature of this process, of course, means that sometimes there may be some ambiguity in subject matter. If two ducks, then it is a symbol of marital harmony, the dark and light birds representing the male and female (yin yang).

Birds of various sorts are the most common subject for ink-play agates (the natural and lower relief versions of which are also known as shadow or silhouette chalcedony and agate bottles). The simple outline of a bird was readily interpreted from a wide range of natural markings in the material, but the various symbolic associations of birds were also were highly valued.

The ample size of this example may indicate a date from the Qianlong period or later, since large snuff bottles seem to have been initially a development of that lengthy reign. The most likely period, however, despite the broader possible dating range given, is perhaps the same mid-Qing period from the 1760s to the 1850s, decades that must have been responsible for a significant proportion of surviving old bottles.