A rare amber water pot, 18th-19th century. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2012

Finely carved as a hollowed section of tree trunk from which grow flowering openwork branches that surround the sides and form a handle at one end, with two birds perched on the rim peering into the interior, the translucent amber of orange-russet color; 3¾ in. (9.5 cm.) across, box. Estimate $12,000 - $18,000     

清十八/十九世紀 琥珀雕花鳥紋水丞

Notes: Compare the similar amber water pot in the Drummond Collection illustrated by D.A. Grimaldi, Amber: Window to the Past, American Museum of Natural History, 1996, p. 208. 

Christie's. Auspicious Treasures for Scholars and Emperors: Selections from the Robert H. Blumenfield Collection, 22 March 2012, New York, Rockefeller Plaza