Bottle ID: 11

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GRAY WITH BROWN SKIN, LARGE

Date: 1750-1850

Height: 70 mm

Nephrite, well hollowed, of gray and brown tones with a rich brown skin covering one side, with patches of skin to the reverse, of irregular squared form with rounded shoulders, one side flattened, the other rounded.

Similar Examples:

Moss, Hugh, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang. A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles - The Mary and George Bloch Collection, 1995, Vol. 1, pp. 30-31, no. 8.
Low, Denis S. K. More Treasures form the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect, 2002, p. 69, no. 63.
Christie's, New York, March 19, 2008, lot 227, The Meriem Collection, Part II.

Provenance:

Toronto, 1987

"Skin" jade bottles, as they are known, are generally left uncarved, but softly polished to allow the beauty of both the skin and the nephrite material to shine through. This is not really the case here as this bottle is not very attractive and somewhat substantial. However, it does have merit, the obvious choice here being the rich brown skin of the pebble which covers one whole side. This group of pebble bottles is very popular today, especially with the Chinese, who appreciate and understand the use of the skin of the river-bed pebble in the fashioning of both snuff bottles and carvings. 

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