Bottle ID: 469

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BLACK PEBBLE FORM

Date: 1750-1860

Height: 62 mm

Crystal, well hollowed, the slightly opaque stone of an irregular pebble shape and suffused with a natural design of black tourmaline needles appearing denser in the top half of the bottle and becoming sparse towards the base.

Similar Examples:

Crane Collection no. 71
Perry, Lilla S. Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Adventures & Studies of a Colector, 1960, p. 60, no. 38.
White, Helen. Snuff Bottles from China: The Victoria and Albert Museum Collection, 1990, pp. 104-105, no. 4.
Hall, Robert. Chinese Snuff Bottles III, 1990, pp. 94-95, no. 57.

Provenance:

Hugh Moss [HK] Ltd.
Walter Bick, Toronto, Canada

Very few examples of hair crystal bottles are of this natural-looking pebble shape and whilst the Perry example (listed above) can be described as "pebble-shaped" it does not evoke a similar feeling as the Crane bottle. What is apparent however, is that both bottles have used the material together with the form in a uniquely evocative manner - Perry describes the hairs in her bottle as resembling seaweed at the ocean floor whilst the Crane bottle seems to have needles that are falling through water.

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