Bottle ID: 291

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CARVED, PEACH SHAPE

Date: 1780-1850

Height: 44 mm

Agate, well hollowed, of pale gray and honey tones with orange inclusions, carved in the form of a leafy peach with a bat flying to one side.

Similar Examples:

Crane Collection no. 922
Moss, Hugh, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang. A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles - The Mary and George Bloch Collection, 1998, Vol. 2, Part 1, pp. 172-173, no. 244.
Holden, Rachelle R. Rivers and Mountains Far From the World - The Rachelle R. Holden Collection, 1994, pp. 74-75, no. 24.
Low, Denis S. K. More Treasures from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect, 2002, p. 51, no. 45 and p. 288, no. 265.

Provenance:

Robert Hall

There are very few examples known of bottles carved in this form of any material. No others have been published in agate although the Bloch Collection has one in carnelian. The other similar examples given are in glass, from the Holden Collection, and in nephrite and amber, from Denis Low's Collection. All of the bottles, whatever their material, are carved like this one, with a highly naturalistic flowing form. The peach occurs frequently in Chinese art, being symbolic of immortality and long life, with the God of Longevity often depicted holding a peach.

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