Bottle ID: 715

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CARVED PEACH FORM

Date: 1780-1850

Height: 54 mm

Bamboo node, carved in the form of a ripened peach with an undercut woody branch and leaves with incised veins carved in relief.

Similar Examples:

Denis S.K. Low, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect III, 2007, p. 297, no. 259 (Lapis Lazuli).
Denis S.K. Low, More Treasures from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect, 2002, p. 51, no. 45 (Jade).
Denis S.K. Low, More Treasures from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect, 2002, p. 288, no. 265 (Amber).

Provenance:

Bonhams San Francisco, June 23rd, 2015, lot 7207
The Bentley Collection, London U.K.
C. Y. Tse, Hong Kong, 1986

Published:
 

The Bentley Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Asian Art Studio, Inc., 2008, p. 78

The peach is an enduring symbol of immortality, and as such was fashionable in the imperial court from the Eighteenth century onwards as a snuff bottle form. Examples can be found in a variety of materials such as jade, amber, Yixing and even lapis lazuli, which as Denis Low points out in "Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect III" was one of the materials reserved for use at the imperial court during the eighteenth century. There are a prolific number of bottles carved in this form using the node of the bamboo, but they are often rather thin and unappetising-looking, understandable given the nature of the material. This example, however, is one of the few generous examples where the bulbous shape and textured patination of the surface help to create a perfectly ripe peach-form bottle. Peaches are often depicted with bats, providing the rebus: 'May you possess both blessings and longevity' (fushou shuangquan). When peaches are depicted with bamboo, the reference is for birthday greetings as the word for bamboo (zhu) is a pun for 'congratulate'. This makes a peach-form snuff bottle made from bamboo the perfect birthday gift!

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