A MOSS AGATE SNUFF BOTTLE 18th/19th century Of flattened globular form supported on an oval base and rising to a waisted neck with concave mouth rim, the grey stone mottled with symbiotic whorls of russet, mustard and seaweed green shades, producing an effect of crystallised moss, stopper. 5.3cm (2 1/8in) high. (2). Footnotes: The item within this lot containing ivory has been registered in accordance with the Ivory Act (Section 10). Ref.TG3C725Q 該批次中含有象牙的物品已根據《象牙法案》（章節10）註冊Ref.TG3C725Q 十八/十九世紀 青苔紋瑪瑙鼻煙壺 Provenance: The Ko collection, Turin Christie's London, 18 June 1973, lot 124 Trudy and John Cohen, collection no.B4 來源：葛氏舊藏，意大利都靈 倫敦佳士得，1973年6月18日，拍品編號124 Trudy及John Cohen伉儷，藏品編號B4 The Ko collection comprises a group of snuff bottles and related items assembled by the Italian Evaristo Caretti (1879-1955), whose work in the Chinese Postal Service from 1904 to 1947 enabled him to travel widely and build his collection. Formed mainly between 1920 and 1947, his collection of snuff bottles was offered in a series of sales at Christie's London in the 1970s. Moss agate refers to a variety of dendritic chalcedony characterised by mineral inclusions that resemble seaweed. This material is rarely seen in works dating from before the production of snuff bottles. As H.Moss, V.Graham and K.B.Tsang argue, this may reflect either its limited availability prior to this, or the increased demand for visually striking materials that accompanied the rise in popularity of snuff bottles. Indeed, many examples were left uncarved to highlight the stone's natural beauty, inviting diverse interpretation of its organic patterns. The present lot exhibits green inclusions, which are probably derived from chlorite, and red ones, probably from iron. Another moss agate snuff bottle, 1770-1880, which also exhibits distinct green and red dendritic markings is illustrated by H.Moss, V.Graham and K.B.Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol.2.1, Hong Kong, 1998, no.199, and was later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 31 May 2015, lot 64. An agate snuff bottle of similar shape, 18th/19th century, is illustrated in ibid, no.218, where the authors observe that the longer, flared neck creates the impression of an ovoid body, when it is in fact closer to a sphere, producing an optical illusion. This bottle was later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 24 November 2014, lot 52. A related moss agate snuff bottle, 1760-1880, was sold at Christie's New York, 12 September 2018, lot 649. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: Y Ф Y Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the UK, see clause 13. Ф This lot contains or is made of ivory and cannot be imported into the USA or any country within the EU. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing