AN AMBER PIG-FORM SNUFF BOTTLE QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY |

Collection of H.R.N. Norton.
Sotheby's London, 5th November 1963, lot 125.
The Kurt Graf Blucher von Wahlstatt (Count Blucher) Collection.
Hugh Moss Ltd, London, 26th February 1972 (£1,500).

Hugh M. Moss, Snuff Bottles of China, London, 1971, p. 97, no. 158.

There is a minute nick at the mouth where the stopper meets the bottle. Otherwise 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."

SNUFF BOTTLES AND JADES FROM AN OLD HONG KONG FAMILY COLLECTION The following collection of snuff bottles, jades and hardstone carvings (lots 487-628) was formed by an erudite couple with a true passion for Chinese art. Most of the snuff bottles were acquired in Hong Kong from Y.F. Yang, with whom they would regularly dine out in a fine restaurant, coinciding the evening with an acquisition of one of the superb snuff bottles on offer. In that golden era of collecting, primarily from the late 1960s to early 1970s, a great range of high-quality bottles was available, both antique examples such as the Jiaqing porcelain bottle decorated with quails, formerly in the Qing court collection (lot 496), and contemporary masterpieces created by Wang Xisan at the zenith of his career. The snuff bottle collection encompasses a great diversity of media and subject matter, and is particularly notable for the sheer quality of the glass bottles, with their kaleidoscopic range of colours. A particularly favourite bottle of theirs was the delightful amber pig (lot 487), originally sold by H.R.N. Norton at Sotheby’s London in 1963, and now being dispersed with the rest of the collection for others to enjoy.

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A closely related amber pig-form snuff bottle from the Mary and George Bloch collection, illustrated in Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 7, Hong Kong, 2009, no. 1596, was sold in these rooms, 1st June 2015, lot 20. 

See also another rare amber pig-form snuff bottle from the collection of Christopher Sin, illustrated by Humphrey Hui, An Addicted Dedication, Book I, Hong Kong, 2013, cat. no. 320, where the author points out that pigs are an ancient symbol of wealth. They also insinuate wealth, with chushou (front trotters) being a pun for hangjiu chushou ('unexpected money is at hand').