A Suzhou agate snuff bottle. Late Qing Dynasty

Expertly carved with a figure of the immortal Li Tieguei seated to the left, his three-legged toad to the front and gazing up towards a pair of bats near a large pine on the right side with the name Liu Fengxian inscribed along the upper branches, the design skillfully incorporating the various colored inclusions of the translucent honey-colored matrix, with a purple hued stopper. 6cm - Sold for $5,100 (Copyright © 2002-2008 Bonhams 1793 Ltd., Images and Text All Rights Reserved)