A striated agate miniature snuff bottle, Qing dynasty, 18th-19th century. Photo Sotheby's

very well hollowed, with a flat lip and a concave foot surrounded by a narrow rounded footrim; the carnelian stopper with a jadeite finial and plastic collar; 3.7 cm., 1½ in. Estimation 18,000 — 25,000. Lot. Vendu 50,000 HKD 

PROVENANCE Kaynes-Klitz Collection.
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 3rd November 1994, lot 913.

LITTERATURE Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 2, Hong Kong, 1998, no. 216.

NOTE  On the main profile of this bottle, the area of maximum width is placed just below the centre line. The narrow-side profile follows the more usual practice for this shape of tapering towards the neck rather than towards the foot and in balancing the form by emphasising the lower area of the bottle, albeit with a broader band of maximum width.

 Any form of stone with natural markings has its own charms, and hair crystal is no exception. Those with a few thick hairs can be spectacular and immediately striking, while those with randomly marked thick and thin inclusions with a lot of clear space between allow for the easiest access into the game of interpretation and can also be spectacular, especially if they have some iridescence.Those with densely included markings of similar thickness lend an overall brilliance to the material that holds its own subtle fascination. All can be equally powerful, but the levels at which the power is accessible and at its height may differ. This is an unusually bright and evenly marked example. It represents the perfect formal integrity amongst mid-Qing crystal bottles. It is of an unusual, vertically extended form and is well hollowed while leaving a reasonable thickness of wall.

Sotheby's. Snuff Bottles from the Mary and George Bloch Collection: Part VI. Hong Kong | 27 mai 2013 - www.sothebys.com