A ROOT AMBER SNUFF BOTTLE, MID-QING DYNASTY

Expert’s note:
Fine ‘Root Amber’ snuff bottles of an early date are quite rare. The present example with its distinct honey-toned swirls, somewhat reminiscent of the ‘ghost eyes’ found in huanghuali wood, is of the most desirable type.

China, 1750-1850. The ovoid body supported on an oval foot with concave base and rising to a cylindrical neck with a flat lip. The shoulders boldly carved with lion masks suspending mock-ring handles, the remaining surfaces unadorned to best display the swirled and variegated material with patterns resembling an ancient piece of burl wood.


Provenance:
The Maurice Fry Collection, Illinois, USA. Maurice Fry (1931-2019) was an American entrepreneur and businessman. He discovered Asian art during his time in the US Army, when he served in the Korean War. In 1956, Maurice found his life partner in Elizabeth C. Fry (1934-2022), and together they embarked on a decades-long and captivating journey of collecting.

Condition:
Good condition with significant old wear and expected natural imperfections, one with a minuscule fill. Natural inclusions and fissures overall, some of which have developed into fine hairline cracks over time. One shallow chip to the lip. Fine naturally grown patina.

Stopper: Glass
Weight: 43.7 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 76 mm. Diameter neck 17 mm and mouth 6 mm.


One of the more exotic materials
used for snuff bottles, amber is the translucent fossilized resin of ancient coniferous trees from the Tertiary period. Three main varieties of amber were used during the Qing Dynasty: a range of transparent brown, golden-brown and reddish amber; a yellow, cloudy amber associated with the Baltics; and 'root amber', such as the present bottle, where the range of material has inclusions of opaque yellow-ochre and brown colors. 'Root' amber, is so called because it was believed that the resin combines with clay at the root of the tree to obtain its distinct color. Amber was valued long before the snuff-bottle era and was considered to be a symbol of longevity, since it was known to have laid in the ground being transformed over millennia.


Literature comparison:

For a similar root-amber bottle still in the Imperial Collection see Chang Lin-Sheng, ‘Snuff Bottles in the Collection of the National Palace Museum’, Taipei, 1991, p. 252, no.374.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 19 March 2018, lot 144
Price: USD 3,125 or approx.
EUR 3,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A root amber snuff bottle, 1780-1850
Expert remark: Compare the closely related manner of carving, decoration, with similar lion mask and mock ring handles, and color. Note the size (6.7 cm). While the two bottles likely date to different ends of the 1750-1850 period, with the current lot possibly being the older example, the Bonham’s bottle provides a good basis for comparison based upon the form and material.




清代中期根珀鼻煙壺

中國，1750-1850 年。 鼻煙壺圓柱體頸部，削肩，收腹，橢圓形圈足。肩部兩側各有一個輔首圓環。除此之外鼻煙壺表面未加任何裝飾，展示出材料獨有的紋理，如老樹根。


來源：
Maurice Fry收藏，美國伊利諾伊州。 Maurice Fry（1931-2019）是一位美國企業家和商人。他在美國陸軍服役期間，在朝鮮戰爭中服役期間發現了亞洲藝術。 1956年，Maurice找到了自己的人生伴侶Elizabeth C. Fry（1934-2022），他們一起踏上了長達數十年的收藏之旅。

品相：
品相良好，有磨損和自然瑕疵，輕微填充物，有天然內沁和裂隙，其中一些隨著時間的推移已發展成細小的裂紋。 壺口上有一個淺淺的缺口。自然精美包漿。

壺蓋：玻璃
重量：43.7 克
尺寸：含蓋高76 毫米，頸部直徑17 毫米，壺口直徑6 毫米


文獻比較：

一件相似的宮廷所藏琥珀色鼻煙壺，Chang Lin-Sheng，《故宮鼻煙壺》，台北，1991年，頁252，編號374。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約邦翰斯，2018年3月19日，lot 144
價格：USD 3,125（相當於今日
EUR 3,500
）
描述：1780-1850年雀腦琥珀鋪首耳鼻煙壺
專家評論：比較非常相近雕刻風格，裝飾，具有類似的輔面和手柄，以及顏色。請注意尺寸(6.7厘米)。雖然這兩件鼻煙壺可能生產於 1750-1850 年間的不同時期，而我們拍品可能年代較早。