Bottle ID: 214

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ABSTRACT

Date: 1750-1860

Height: 50 mm

Jasper, well-hollowed, of flattened rounded form, the dappled dark green stone with yellow and scarlet red swirling inclusions resembling an abstract painting of a figure, perhaps a red-robed monk, strolling in a gorge.

Similar Examples:

Moss, Hugh, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang. A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles - The Mary and George Bloch Collection, 1998, Vol. 2, Part 1, pp. 70-71, no. 205.
Kleiner, Robert. Chinese Snuff Bottles - The White Wings Collection, 1997, p. 161, no. 107.
Low, Denis S. K. More Treasures from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect, 2002, p. 271, no. 250.

Provenance:

Hugh Moss [HK] Ltd.

Jasper is one of the stones in the quartz family that is often left uncarved, but softly polished, on its outer surface. The appeal to collectors is not just the attractive colors of green, red and yellow but also the tactile quality of the stone. Following in the tradition of 'silhouette' agates, where the natural markings suggest a landscape or scene, these jasper bottles also can stimulate the imagination. In the case of this bottle the single irregular bright red inclusion may be suggestive of a solitary figure walking through a mountainous landscape.

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