A SMALL EMBELLISHED ‘POMEGRANATE’ CORAL SNUFF BOTTLE, 19TH CENTURY

Coral with neatly incised inlays made from turquoise, amber and lapis lazuli.

The bottle: China
The embellishment: Japan, The bottle: 19th century, possibly even a bit earlier.
The embellishment: late 19th – early 20th century.

Of peach form with flat top and recessed foot surrounded by an oval foot rim, the embellishments carved in crisp relief with a pomegranate on a stem with two slender leaves growing from an ornamental rock.

Coral is a symbol of longevity, due to its resemblance to a tree that seems to last forever. It was also a symbol of the first rank as civil officers of the first rank wore coral buttons on their hats. Coral was highly valued at Court and was considered to be the third most valuable gem. In the catalogue of the Exhibition of Ching Dynasty Costume Accessories, page 31, the order of value is given as pearl, ruby, coral, sapphire, lapis lazuli, quartz, shell etc. Coral was also the material used for the Emperor's Court necklace when worshipping at the Altar of the Sun, matched by a coral belt. Coral snuff bottles were produced for the Court throughout the early to mid-Qing period, and apart from the Palace workshops, we are told in Masterpieces of Snuff Bottles in the Palace Museum, page 29, that the records reveal that snuff bottles made of gems and gemstones (which included coral) were mostly produced at Imperial lapidary workshops in Suzhou and Yangzhou by order of the Emperor.

The rarity of genuine early and mid-Qing coral snuff bottles is presumably due to the fact that only the occasional branch was large enough to make even a small snuff bottle. Several of the earliest known coral bottles were made in segments joined together, or when made from flawed material (which was all that was available), requiring either patches of coral inlaid to fill flaws, or wax inlays.

Shape: Pear
Hollowing: Good
Mouth, neck and lip: Flat top with tiny mouth
Base: Oval with raised foot rim
Stopper: Green nephrite
Height of the bottle with stopper: 4,6 cm.
Width of the mouth: 4 mm.
Width of the neck: 12 mm.
Weight: 24,3 grams
Condition: Excellent. Remainders of old glue near the inlays.
Provenance: Hungarian private collection

小珊瑚巧雕”石榴花”鼻烟壺，19世紀
珊瑚壺身，上雕綠松石、琥珀及青金石
壺身：中國，19世紀或更早
雕飾：日本，19世紀晚期至20世紀初期
品相極好
匈牙利私人收藏