Bottle ID: 119

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MOSS AGATE

Date: 1750-1860

Height: 60 mm

Moss agate, very well hollowed, of squared form with rounded shoulders and a neatly carved footrim, the stone of mottled tones of blue, green, brown and purple.

Similar Examples:

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. 74-75, no. 207.
Sotheby's, New York, April 1, 2005, lot 528, Collection of Avrina Pugh.
Sotheby's, London, June 21, 1995, lot 49, The Stone Picking Studio [Cai Shi Xuan]

Provenance:

Clare Lawrence Ltd.
The Monimar Collection

Moss agate is a type of chalcedony with dense inclusions of green Hornblende, which resemble branch-like growths of any kind. The Chinese refer to moss agate as ‘shuicao’ which rather aptly translates as ‘waterweeds’. This bottle is of a typical form for this group of bottles relying on the shape and especially the hollowing of the stone for its excellence. Its uniqueness lies in the stone itself, in the natural colors and tones that set it apart from other examples, hence the initial difficulty of finding other similar examples. It is interesting that when compared to other materials, such as jasper (the Bloch Collection) and quartz (the Cai Shi Xuan Collection), comparisons are more readily available.

 

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