Bottle ID: 700

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CITRINE, CARVED SHOULAO

Date: 1750-1860

Height: 50 mm

Citrine, of rounded bulbous form, with a cylindrical neck and a neatly carved oval footrim, well hollowed, the translucent stone carved in high relief on one main side with Shoulao holding a peach and standing beside a pine tree and lingzhi fungus, with a bat swooping overhead; the reverse carved in low relief with a figure in a mountainous landscape, his arm raised towards a pavilion in the distance.

Similar Examples:

Sotheby's, Hong Kong, October 30, 2000, lot 622, The Guo'an Collection.
Beaussant Lefevre, Paris, France, November 18, 2005, lot 194.

Provenance:

Asian Art Studio

Citrine is a variety of quartz whose color ranges from a pale yellow to brown. It occurs in the rock where there are traces of iron embedded in silicon dioxide. Occasionally citrine and amethyst can occur together in the same rock, although there do not appear to be any older snuff bottles published, or in known collections, where these two materials are evident. The Crane example is a particularly strong yellow color and is unusual in its intensity and evenness.

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