A CARVED CAMEO AGATE 'SQUIRREL AND GRAPE' SNUFF BOTTLE 1750-1860A CARVED CAMEO AGATE 'SQUIRREL AND GRAPE' SNUFF BOTTLE1750-1860Very well-hollowed, of compressed globular form standing on an oval footrim, with a subtly waisted neck and flat lip, one main side utilizing the dark brown inclusions in the pale gray matrix, carved with two squirrels cavorting among leafy grape vines, further decorated with a fisherman in a sampan near one narrow side.2 1/2in (6.4cm) high1750-1860 巧色瑪瑙刻松鼠葡萄鼻煙壺一件Provenance:Joan and Ted Dorf Collection, no. 79The depiction of a squirrel, or more correctly a tree shrew, climbing among leafy vines is often seen on snuff bottles. They are symbolic of fertility as they produce large litters. Though this is a more usual interpretation of this symbolism, other scholars have suggested that this motif is an expression of a wish for promotion to a higher rank of officialdom.