Featured Chinese Snuff Bottles, cameo, carved, and.....

One of the 3 snuff bottles I own (far less than you, Any Jewelry)
2 colors of carved cinabar, no stopper (only a broken red dyed bone spoon was inside...)
7cm high, 5.5cm wide.
As you can see, not the modern resin stuff

 

No, certainly not, and beautiful. I always think that black over red gives it a mysterious look.
You can still get handcarved bone spoons. And as for dying them red, no problem for the magnificent kyra.

 

Extracted from my crowded display cabinet ;-)

My mother bought it in the 70' at a Chinese exposition at Galeries Lafayette, in Paris.

At this time, these department stores, Le Printemps and Galeries Lafayette, held one expo a year and sold modern items, clothes decorative porcelain ware, jewelry, but also few antiques.

I don't remember the price she paid, but at this time, Chinese antiques were very affordable!

Both sides are decorated, one with a poem and signatures in red seal.

It is 6.8cm or 2.5/8" high, 3.5cm or 1.3/8" wide.

Coral, oxidised brass lid with cork stopper and bone spoon.

Some brown powder remnants inside!

 

A rather big one, 6.5cm high, 4.5cm wide, no stopper.

So much people describe these snuff bottles as "hand carved ivory or bone"...

Nearly each time a poster shows one so described, when I say (and explain why it isn't...), I'm not trusted

This is RESIN!

Not modern, nor antique, vintage!

On this one, there was lots of very tiny "balls" stuck in many parts of the decor (you can see one on bottom part of pic#1)
I easily removed them with a needle, and burnt them: flame and chemical odor!!!

 

Thanks Any!
I had to look attentively to be sure it wasn't carved turtleshell! Some black parts have a translucent brown tint...

 

A lot of my older bottles have that too, sometimes very gooey, but a nice smell. Of course you can't wash or rinse inside painted bottles. But I like it, it means they are used.

 

I've seen resin bottles offered for sale as genuine ivory, bone, coral, turquoise, etc, etc. depending on the colour. Infuriating. Those sellers that don't believe you just don't want to believe you. Or they know the truth and are simply suspect.

 

Those are wonderful. As if painting inside a bottle is not hard enough, the calligraphy is awesome. I have read that the artists would lay on their backs and hold the bottle up for the light and use a bent brush. I wonder if that is true?? Thank you for sharing.

 

I am working on taking pictures. But here is one. Traded for art lessons. Bought in the '60's in an antique shop in London.

 

@Any Jewellery and all
awesome collection!! very pretty

 

Here are two more. They are amber, and the carvings can be hard to see depending on the light, that's why I held them tilted. One has a bat design, the other a dragon. No stoppers, and I have been looking for appropriate replacements. They are about as long as my index finger.

 

Could not get them to load. Files too big. I need to adjust.

 

just sharing since i am googling "snuff bottles" ....
probably modern straits chinese

https://www.mudah.my/Chirstmas+Gift+Variety+Nyonya+Snuff+Bottle-61093463.htm

 

Not completely, they do have special brushes, but that's it. I know a lovely Chinese lady here in the Netherlands who does inside painting, she actually bought some snuff bottles from us.

Very nice, gorgeous colours.

 

@kaja , here is a closeup of the Art Deco style landscape inlay of the bottle you asked about. Pen for size:

 

One of my favourites, because it is so endearing.
I got it in a cheap lot and thought it was transfer printed. It turned out to be handpainted porcelain, and a real malachite stopper with a tiny red Peking glass bead on top. just over 6 cm/2.36" high:



It is a scene from "The Dream of the Red Chamber", a famous 18th century Chinese novel. The girl is secretly mending a magic peacock feather cloak during the night, by the light of an oil lamp.

 

What LOVELY collections all !! .. Thank You so much for sharing them with us, .. Joy.

 

That is lovely.

 

AJ - So glad you started this thread. It really is a treat seeing all these treasures. Think my favorite of the more recently posted ones is the Peking glass in shades of blue to purple with the Pixiu dragon. When I looked back to pick out 1 or 2 more, couldn't decide - love them all!

 

Thanks Bronwen. They are all little treasures to me, and the artistry on some never ceases to amaze me.

I have some more in that style, but many are hiding out in boxes.
Here is one from our shop, Pixiu is dragging a chain of coins across a money bag:

The blue shaded one is more of a statement though.