Bottle ID: 512

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OLIVE GREEN, BULBOUS FORM

Date: 1780-1860

Height: 51 mm

Soapstone, well hollowed, of rounded bulbous form, with shoulders sloping to a cylindrical neck and with a slightly concave oval foot, the stone of a soft olive green color with irregular opaque mottled inclusions.

Similar Examples:

None found.

Provenance:

Hugh Moss [HK] Ltd.
Robert Kleiner, London, April 2002
John Ault

Published:

Kleiner, Robert W. L. Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of John Ault, 1990, p. 57, no. 96

A range of soft-stones in China, including varieties of serpentine and soapstone, were used concurrently with jade for carving, particularly from the 17th century through to the late-Qing and Republican period. The Chinese found such soft stones, which could be directly carved and inscribed with seal text by the literati, to be extremely appealing and the more valued soapstones from particular locations and of certain colors, became as highly valued as jade. The sophisticated aesthetic of the Chinese was open to any material, which was tactile and attractive, and this included softer stones carved into snuff bottles.  Some are inscribed by the literati, others left plain for the qualities of the stone to speak for itself. In this case, this delightful green stone has been lovingly crafted and elegantly formed, endorsing the appreciation of such material by the Chinese.

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