A 'MACARONI' AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 29th April 1992, lot 531. 

Robert Kleiner, Boda Yang, and Clarence F. Shangraw, Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Miniature Art from the Collection of George and Mary Bloch, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 212.
National Museum of Singapore, Singapore, 1994-5.

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. 201.

A small section of the outer rim has possibly been slightly polished. The bottle also has some light surface scratches, especially to the lip. There are some natural inclusions in the stone and pittings to the surface. The overall condition is otherwise very good. The actual colour is slightly more greyish than 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."

This type of stone is popularly called ‘macaroni-agate’ among Western collectors. The Chinese name for it is dengcao ma’nao 燈草瑪瑙 (lamp-wick agate), because its patterns resemble the squiggly white pith of thedengxin cao 燈心草 (‘lamp-wick grass’, Juncus effuses; ‘soft rush’), which is used in Chinese medicine.

Wherever it came from as a raw material, it was evidently popular from the latter part of the eighteenth century onwards and seems to have been considered sufficiently fascinating as a material in its own right as to rarely have encouraged more embellishment than the occasional pair of mask-and-ring handles.

Here the bottle is well formed and detailed, with excellent and extensive hollowing and good formal integrity.