A CAMEO AGATE ‘PLAYFUL QILINS’ SNUFF BOTTLE, OFFICIAL SCHOOL, 1780-1850

拍品描述

A CAMEO AGATE ‘PLAYFUL QILINS’ SNUFF BOTTLE, OFFICIAL SCHOOL, 1780-1850 China. Well hollowed, the bottle of flattened rounded-square form, supported on a short oval foot ring and rising to a cylindrical neck with a flat rim. Finely carved through the honey-colored outer layer to the semi-translucent deep caramel body to depict a pair of playful qilin, their incised fur and bushy tails swept by the wind, with lingzhi growing to one side. The reverse skillfully utilizes the dappled honey inclusions to depict a bird in flight above a stag and a seated monkey wielding a stick. Stopper: Coral on a silver and hardstone collar and hardstone finial Dimensions: Height including stopper 78 mm. Diameter neck 21 mm and mouth 7 mm. Literature comparison: Compare a related agate snuff bottle with two lions, dated Qing dynasty, illustrated in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan, Masterpieces of Chinese snuff bottles in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1976, front cover and no. 43. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 21 March 2013, lot 893 Price: USD 17,500 or approx. EUR 22,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling of the deer, bird, and monkey motif. Note the size (6.7 cm).

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