A Dendritic Agate ‘Fisherman and Goldfish’ Snuff Bottle Official School, Qing Dynasty, 18th / 19th Century

Kaynes-Klitz Collection.
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 16th November 1989, lot 74.

Moss et al., 1996-2009, vol. 2, no. 291.

It is in good condition.
"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."

Another of the extraordinary and rare silhouette bottles with an equally powerful design on each main side, this bottle is even more appealing because those designs are achieved in different colours and by minimal editing of the contours of the material. On the side with three fish, two of them, along with the lotus flower, use a thin plane of unusual dendritic red colouring, while the third fish is imaginatively carved in matching very low relief from a slightly speckled area of the ground that differs from the other ground colour very subtly. The more prominent colour is so evenly marked and so un-tree or fern-like that it barely qualifies as dendritic.

The other side, with the fisherman landing his catch in a sampan, is a masterly depiction full of vigour and of startling clarity. It is taken from a thin plane of beautifully marked reddish-brown agate whose swirling colours add immensely to the vitality of the scene.

The facial details of the fisherman and the simple incised rings for the fishes’ eyes suggest that this is part of the broad group of bottles represented by Sale 1, lot 49.