Bottle ID: 427

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EMERALD GREEN AND WHITE, SMALL FLATTENED

Date: 1800-1880

Height: 53 mm

 

Jadeite, very well hollowed, of small flattened oval form, of translucent icy white crystalline appearance with brilliant emerald green inclusions swirling through the body, the base with a neatly carved oval footrim.

 

Similar Examples:

Crane Collection no. 376
Sotheby's, New York, April 6, 1990, lot 134
Moss, Hugh, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang. A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles - The Mary and George Bloch Collection, 1995, Vol. 1, pp. 440-441, no. 172.
Christie's, New York, March 21, 2002, lot 245, The Blanche B. Exstein Collection.

 

Provenance:

Robert Hall

 

 

 

 

The Chinese have traditionally taken a subjective and often poetic approach to the appreciation of art; including towards the materials with which they work.  Even the names given to the materials, including hardstones, respond to this aesthetic approach, known as Jian shang.  The name given to jadeite is feicui and refers to the brilliance of a kingfisher's plumage.  Jadeite, itself, however, does not appear in exactly the colors of the feathers or, indeed, with their iridescence. The type of jadeite shown here is known to the Chinese as "pine trees in the snow" since the markings resemble the idea of a pine tree-filled snowy landscape.

 

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