S54 A “Dragon, carp and bats” quartz snuff bottle

Description

Description:  Chinese quartz snuff bottle finely decorated on one side with a dragon among clouds, flying over a leaping carp among troubled waters, and on the other side with two bats, everything carved in slight relief. Very well polished and hollowed. The quartz is completely clear on one side and it has some faint greenish opaque inclusions on the other side.

Foot/base:  Concave small base

Mark:

Dating:  19^h century.

Material:  Quartz

Size:  57 mm high

Stopper:  Red stone with metal ring and bone spoon.

Provenance:  Antiquarian market

References:

Notes:  Because of the transparency of the quartz, smoothing, and especially the very low relief of the carved figures, it is very difficult to get them in pictures. They are better seen in transparency by the insight lighting of the bottle, see the last group of pictures.