Bottle ID: 653

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TRANSPARENT, WITH COBWEBS

Date: 1750-1860

Height: 68.9 mm

Amethyst, of flattened rectangular form with shoulders sloping to a cylindrical neck and with a neatly carved oval footrim, well hollowed, the purple stone with an irregular natural pattern of flaws forming an attractive cobweb design.

Similar Examples:

Crane Collection no. 348
Kleiner, Robert W. L. Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of John Ault, 1990, p. 51, no. 85.
Moss, Hugh, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang. The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle - The J & J Collection, 1993,  Vol. I, p. 175, no. 96.

Provenance:

Hugh Moss [HK] Ltd.
Dynasty Arts, California, 2005

There is a well-known series of crystal and amethyst bottles suffused with a net-like pattern, sometimes also known as ‘sea-spray’ or ‘cobweb’ pattern. They were made during the mid-Qing period, and most of the more impressive ones are probably from the Qianlong reign, although the material would have been continued in use thereafter. This is the best known of the amethyst versions, which are rarer, with its unusually deep and even color and impressive presence arising out of the thickness of the walls, impeccable form, and solid integrity.

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