Featured Help With Wood Bone? Mini Bottle Rats Mice?

Hi All,
I need some help with this cool little bottle. It stands 3 1/2"H, made of wood and bone, 2 rats on the top ( I love the rats) and a religious woman on the body. Maybe from India? Marked on the base but I can't figure out what it says. I can see some gold on the tips of the rats ears, so maybe brass that is very dirty? What would it have been used for?
any information appreciated
thanks for looking

 

kinda looks like a Japanese silver mark.

 

Is that a spout above the seated figure ? Isnt it Kuan Yin who is always seated on a lotus ?Very cool piece!

 

Wish I could help... never seen similar! What an interesting piece. Hope someone has some ideas.

 

thanks Miscstuff, could be, will see if I can find anything

thanks johnny no spout, just part of the decoration.
just searched for Kuan Yin, might be her. Here is a photo of her sitting on the lotus with a bottle in her hand, here is another photo of her with flames around her head like a halo. Will keep searching

thanks Lucille




https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/Guan_Yin.htm



http://dewyoga.net/guided-meditation-for-relaxation/

 

why isn't it a snuff bottle ?

 

I suspect this is Tibetan, made from 'Tibetan Silver' which is a nickle alloy.

 

It is a Chinese provincial style bottle for either snuff or herbal remedies (often the same thing). The metal is base metal.
China makes a lot of these bottles with metal mounts, but this one is a little different from most. The Guanyin is a usual feature, but the rats or mouse aren't. The lotus bud stopper is also unusual.
There may have been a blue glass cab in the small circle on top of Guanyin's flames, to imitate turquoise.

It shows influence from Himalayan herbal bottles, and could have been made in a region that has a Himalayan culture, or is pretty close to Himalayan culture.
The Guanyin figure has nothing to do with the Himalayas though, that is very Chinese. In Himalayan Buddhism it would be Chenrezi/Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva Guanyin is partly derived from.

A Bodhisattva is a personification of a Buddha aspect, a single property of the celestial Buddha. With Avalokiteshvara/Chenrezi and Guanyin that aspect is compassion.

All divinities, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can be seated on a lotus throne, it is a symbol of spiritual purity. In this case it is definitely Guanyin, since the figure is hooded and holding the vessel containing the nectar of life.

 

Thanks komokwa, I thought maybe snuff but the top was different so I wasn't sure

thank-you Ce BCA

wonderful, thank-you so much for all the information AJ yes, could be missing a jewel in that spot, I never thought of that. I love the rats, looks like they are eating a piece of cheese I'll keeping digging around to see what I can find with your information