A MAHOGANY-RED AMBER 'FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE' SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

Collection of Gerry P. Mack.
Sotheby’s New York, 25th October 1997, lot 232.
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., 1998.

Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 7, Hong Kong, 2009, no. 1585.

Small chip to the inner lip and two minute nibbles, one smoothed. Three tiny nibble and what appears to be smoothed out crack on the footrim. One fine scratch across the foot. Tiny vertical scratches to the surface between the two standing figures.
"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 style of carving here may suggest a date from the nineteenth century, since there are some similarities between this bottle and some nineteenth-century hornbill bottles (see, for instance, Stevens 1976, no. 734, the other side of which is illustrated as no. 735). The style tends towards decorativeness and the technical mastery is impressive.

This is one of the finest pieces of amber in the collection. Not only is the material itself flawless, it is of an extremely unusual, distinctly mahogany-red colour rarely found in snuff bottles at all, let alone in a completely flawless piece of material of large size.