A SOAPSTONE 'BASKET-WEAVE' SNUFF BOTTLE, QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURYSoapstone carved in relief, the material displaying various shades from white to grey with splashes of cinnabar on one side, and a mottled ochre with some shades of cinnabar on the other, with a good and smooth surface polish. China, 18th centuryOf compressed ovoid form, carved in circumferential manner and varying levels of relief to simulate a vessel wrapped for protection in a basket weave casing with an overall pattern of interlocking lozenges, the stone with a few natural brown lines on one side. Basket weave snuff bottles were apparently a popular mid-Qing period imperial form (see discussion under nos. 97 and 98, in Moss, Graham, Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, vol. 1) although no-doubt also made in private workshops for a broader market.Shape: Compressed ovoidHollowing: ExcellentMouth, neck and lip: Cylindric neck surrounded by a double circle on its lower end, with a slightly convex polished top and a small mouthBase: Small oval and flat baseStopper: Amethyst on a yellow plateletHeight of the bottle with stopper: 6.5 cm.Width of the mouth: 7 mm.Width of the neck: 19 mm.Condition: Good with hardly visible, minor nibbling lip, some natural stress cracks, one partially with old wax-fillingProvenance: Old Austrian private collection, acquired before 1930, thence by descentLiterature comparison: Snuff Bottles from the Mary and George Bloch Collection: Part X. Sotheby’s, Hong Kong, June 1st, 2015, lot 39. (for an amber version of the subject) The Ruth and Carl Barron Collection of Fine Chinese Snuff Bottles: Part IV. Christies, New York, March 15th, 2017, lot 333. (for a spinach green jade version of the subject) Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. Christies, New York, September 18th, 2014, lot 1169. (for a glass version of the subject)十八世紀“魚簍紋”皂石鼻烟壺品相良好，唇沿処有幾不可見的磕傷，天然紋路，局部有舊臘填充奧地利私人老收藏，1930年前購入，家族傳承