TABATIERE EN AGATE EN FORME DE JUJUBE SCULPTEE DE CACAHUETES CHINE, 1740-1860

le bouchon en corail

Galerie Bertrand de Lavergne

Good condition. The actual colour is a fraction darker than on the catalogue illustration.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This nice bottle belongs to a distinctive group of bottles of naturalistic forms, all carved in similar style, know as "peanut agates", which has been tentatively attributed to the Official School (see Moss, Graham, Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Vol. 2, Part 2, Quartz, no. 329 and 330.
In Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, p. 70 and 76, Terese Tse Bartholomew illustrates a drawing of another snuff bottle which she attributes to Suzhou. She explains that the jujube (zaozi) is a pun for 'early son' and the peanut (huasheng) is a pun for 'giving birth.' The combination of the two suggests the expression, 'May you soon give birth to a distinguished son' (zaosheng guizi).
Another very similar jujube-form agate bottle carved with peanuts is in the Palace Museum, Beijing and is illustrated in Snuff Bottles. The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, p. 165, no. 255 ; see also The Baur Collection, Chinese Snuff Bottles, 2007, p.302 ; and Stevens, Les Tabatières Chinoises, Fribourg 1980, no. 479.
A "peanut agate" was sold at Christie's New York, 17 September 2008, lot 28 ; another one in our New York Rooms, 15 September 1998, lot 348.