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Bottle ID: 678
CARVED, HEHE TWINS
Date: 1750-1850
Height: 65 mm
Amber, very well hollowed, of almost flawless, transparent, golden-brown tone, of flattened ovoid form with a slightly flared, cylindrical neck and a recessed oval footrim, carved in low relief on one main side with the Hehe twins, one holding two lotus flowers, the other carrying a covered box and a lotus seed-pod, a bird flying overhead; the reverse left plain; the narrow sides with mock mask and ring handles.
Similar Examples:
Moss, Hugh, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang. A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles - The Mary and George Bloch Collection, Vol. 7, Part 1, pp. 290-291, no. 1580.
Provenance:
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd.
Robert Hall, London, June 2006
Christie's, South Kensington, June 10, 2006, lot 364
This is one of two known carved amber bottles obviously carved by the same hand, and of superb quality. The other bottle is carved with two boys and a rabbit on a small wheeled trolley and is unpublished, but listed in Hugh Moss' records. The carving on both is unusually well rounded and confident, realizing charming subjects with considerable technical and artistic skill. The Hehe twins with their attributes of lotus and a covered box represent harmony in life or a peaceful marriage.
One extraordinary aspect of this bottle is the quality and condition of the material, which is miraculously perfect despite its age and fragility. The amber is entirely without the usual crizzling found on eighteenth century bottles and the material is almost flawless, with an exception of a bright golden area, which the carver has cleverly used in the carving of the lotus bud held by one of the boys.