A CAMEO AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE, OFFICIAL SCHOOL, 1740-1840 Published:
Hugh Moss, Chinese Snuff Bottles of the Silica or Quartz Group, London, 1971, p. 58, no. 149
Rachelle Holden, Rivers and Mountains Far From the World - The Rachelle R. Holden Collection, A Personal Commentary, New York, 1994, pp. 148-149, no. 61

China. Well hollowed, of flattened form, rising from an ovoid foot to a straight cylindrical neck, the pale gray stone cleverly carved utilizing the brown and light gray markings to depict a sage and his attendant under a pine tree with a ruyi shaped cloud floating at the top left, the reverse with a horse tethered to a post and a sun drifting amid clouds, incised with a ri character (for 'sun'). The rockwork extending from above the base around the bottle. The work finely detailed and incised. The translucent stone of a pale gray color with brownish black and gray inclusions.

Provenance: Squadron Leader S. B. Johnston. Hugh M. Moss, Hong Kong, acquired from the above. Gerd Lester, New York, acquired from the above. Rachelle R. Holden, New York, acquired from the above in 1981. A collector's label from Rachelle Holden with inventory number '48' to the base. S. B. Johnston was an English pilot for the Royal Air Force, who was promoted from Flight Lieutenant to Squadron Leader in 1968. Gerd Lester was a passionate collector of snuff bottles who wrote many articles for Arts of Asia. Hugh Moss (b. 1943) is an author, dealer, artist, lifelong collector, and enthusiast of Chinese art, and foremost authority on Chinese snuff bottles. Rachelle Holden (1934-2020) was a famous collector of snuff bottles. She purchased her first bottle in 1974, finding the art form fascinating as it combined all the classic forms of Chinese art, and would continue to passionately collect them for the rest of her life.

Condition: Excellent condition with minor old wear and possibly microscopic nibbles.

Stopper: Coral
Weight: 57.2 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 67 mm. Diameter neck 16 mm and mouth 6 mm.

A tethered horse forms the rebus 'Can catch the wind', indicating that this would be an encouraging and complimentary gift for someone of still undiscovered talent.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 23 March 2012, lot 1560
Price: USD 25,000 or approx. EUR 32,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A finely carved cameo agate snuff bottle, official school, 1740-1840
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and utilization of the dark markings, the color of the agate and the fine incision work, as well as the size (60 mm).



1740-1840年瑪瑙巧雕人物鼻烟壺
中國。掏糖良好，寬肩微削，橢圓形圈足，圓柱形短頸，平唇。褐色半透明石頭，利用焦糖色斑紋，巧妙雕刻，一面描繪松樹下的聖賢和他的侍從，左上角飄浮如意祥雲；反面是拴在柱子上的馬和祥雲，雲中刻有“日”字。雕刻細緻入微，淺灰色半透明瑪瑙，帶有棕黑色和灰色內含物。

出版：Hugh Moss，《Chinese Snuff Bottles of the Silica or Quartz Group》，倫敦，1971年，頁58，編號149。
Rachelle Holden，《Rivers and Mountains Far From the World - The Rachelle R. Holden Collection，A Personal Commentary》，紐約，1994年，頁148-149，編號61。

來源：S. B. Johnston少校舊藏；香港Hugh M. Moss購於上述收藏；紐約Gerd Lester購於上述收藏；紐約Rachelle R. Holden1981年購於上述收藏。底部可見Rachelle Holden收藏編號“48”。S. B. Johnston是英國皇家空軍的一名飛行員，1968 年從飛行中尉晉升為少校。Gerd Lester 是一位熱情的鼻烟壺收藏家，為亞洲藝術雜誌撰寫了許多文章。Hugh Moss (出生於1943) 是一位中國藝術方面的作家、經銷商、藝術家、收藏家，也是中國鼻烟壺界的權威。Rachelle R. Holden（1934-2020年）是著名的中國鼻烟壺收藏家。她於 1974 年購買了她的第一個鼻烟壺，從而發現了鼻烟壺其迷人之處，因為它結合了中國藝術的所有經典形式。之後，她持續不斷地收集鼻烟壺。

品相：極好的品相，有輕微磨損，有細微磕損。

壺蓋：珊瑚
重量：57.2 克
尺寸：高 （含蓋）67 毫米，頸部直徑16 毫米及壺口直徑6 毫米

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2012年3月23日，lot 1560
價格：USD 25,000（相當於今日EUR 32,000）
描述：1740-1840年造辦處作瑪瑙巧雕鼻烟壺
專家評論：比較非常相近的外型和利用深色斑紋雕刻，瑪瑙的顏色和巧雕，以及尺寸(60 毫米)。