A CARNELIAN-AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

Collection of Galla Baylin.
Sotheby's New York, 3rd October 1980, lot 196.
Collection of Gerd Lester, 1986.

Hugh Moss, 'Ink Play' Agates', Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, Autumn 1997, p. 5.
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. 197.

One large flake from the lip, 4mm in length. Minor nibbles to the outer lip. One natural flaw on one side, not a crack. Another smaller on the same side towards the top, again a natural flaw in the agate.
"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."

Agate is the striped variety of chalcedony and can be found in a variety of colours, although combinations of grey, white, brown, or almost black are the most common. When bright red material is included, as here, it is sometimes referred to as ‘carnelian-agate,’ carnelian being the name for red chalcedony (see discussion under lot 26 in this sale).

The forces that create the environment for minerals to crystallise in the earth’s crust are immensely varied, allowing for often wide variation in the formation of minerals, even within the various families. This is a particularly striking example, not only because of its rich and unusual colour combination, including red with the more common white and grey-beige striations, but because of the unusual pattern of striations. Instead of being arranged around a single, roughly central point, there are two distinct concentric patterns, one superimposed upon the other, probably due to an irregularity in the geode wall setting up conflicting central spaces into which the micro-crystals could grow (for a specimen of red agate similar to this, showing how such material forms, see Yang Hanchen 1985, no. 78).

Formally, the bottle is of a fairly standard form that appears to have been popular during the mid-Qing period, though not exclusively. Frequently, agate bottles from material with concentric patterns resembling a thumb-print, which is also known for obvious reasons as ‘thumb-print agate’ (see Sale 6, lot 114). The Chinese term for this pattern is chansi manao 纏絲瑪瑙 (‘silk-wrapping agate).