A CARVED 'CHILONG' THUMBPRINT MALACHITE SNUFF BOTTLE, QING DYNASTY

Malachite with expressive thumbprint patterns on both sides, coinciding with the shape of the bottle, partially reticulated carving in high relief, the mineral of intense green color, with a fine surface polish and patina. China, 1750-1850

Boldly carved in pear shape, the shoulders with two powerful coiled Chilong depicted in a reticulated manner. Malachite is a copper carbonate hydroxide mineral. Most existing early malachite snuff bottles are uncarved, because the mineral is soft and therefore any high-relief carving is easily worn off and damaged.

Shape: Bulbous pear shape
Hollowing: Excellent
Mouth, neck and lip: Elongated tapered neck with flat top and small mouth
Base: Massive oval base with raised and rounded foot rim, perfectly in line with Chilong's tails
Stopper: Carnelian on a black platelet, old spoon
Height of the bottle with stopper: 6.3 cm.
Width of the mouth: 17 mm.
Width of the neck: 7 mm.
Condition: Excellent, with some small areas of natural mineral deterioration
Provenance: Hungarian private collection

Literature comparison: THE PAUL BRAGA COLLECTION OF SNUFF BOTTLES. Bonhams, Hong Kong, November 24th, 2012, lot 25. (for a related bottle) Bob C. Stevens, The Collectors Book of Snuff Bottles, Weatherhill, New York, 1980, lot 669. (for a plain thumbprint malachite snuff bottle) Moss, Graham & Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, Vol.3, Stones other than Jade and Quartz, Hong Kong, 1998, pp.136-138, no.417. Denis S. K. Low, More Treasures from The Sanctum of Enlightened Respect, Hong Kong, 2002, p.272, pl.251. (both for plain malachite snuff bottles) Hugh Moss, Snuff Bottles of China, London, 1971, p.91, pl.118. (for a high-relief malachite snuff bottle)

清代孔雀石"螭龍紋"鼻烟壺
品相極好, 局部有天然内沁
匈牙利私人收藏