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Bottle ID: 00645
BLUE, TRANSPARENT, CARVED W/PETAL SHAPED FACETS
Date: 1730-1850
Height: 58 mm
Glass, light blue, of flattened circular form with a concave base, each main fascia with a central concave circle from which three bands of petal shaped facets radiate, each circular flower-head design meeting as an irregular diagonal ridge along the narrow sides.
Similar Examples:
The Crane Collection no. 740
Hall, Robert. Chinese Snuff Bottles II, 1989, p. 56, no. 38.
Hui, Humphrey K. F., Margaret Polak and Christopher C. H. Sin. Hidden Treasures of the Dragon - Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collections of Humphrey K. F. Hui, Margaret Polak, and Christopher C. H. Sin, 1991, p. 63, no. 116.
Moss, Hugh, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang. A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles - The Mary and George Block Collection, 2002, Vol. 5, Part 2, pp. 410-411, no. 863.
Provenance:
Hugh Moss [HK] Ltd.
Guwan cheng, Beijing, April 2005
Exhibited:
Annual Convention ICSBS Toronto, October 2007
This is a very rare design in glass, although it does occur in a less formalized form on jade snuff bottles. Essentially inspired by a flower-head and in all probablity a chrysanthemum head, it also incorporates a concave circular "dish" at the center. It is also true that any flower-head with over-lapping petals, such as the auspicious peony, could be symbolized in this design.
Snuff bottles with a concave area on either or both main fascias are often thought to have an integral snuff dish from which the owner can offer his compatriots a pinch of snuff, rather than simply handing them the bottle. This was thought to be somewhat more courteous and had the benefit of having the owner control the amount of snuff to be offered - a consideration when certain types of snuff were very expensive.
While the glass color would indicate an eighteenth century date for this bottle, the similarity of the design to jade and agate bottles, which tend to be larger, places this bottle towards an early to mid-nineteenth century date.
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