A CHALCEDONY AGATE 'SCHOLARS' SNUFF BOTTLE 18th/19th century Of rounded rectangular form, raised on a short foot and below a cylindrical neck with flat mouth rim, the stone of a rich honey tone, the front finely carved from a yellow-ochre skin with two scholars strolling past a gnarled tree, the leading sage looking back with a jovial expression while the second one follows with a cane, the reverse plain, stopper. 6.5cm (2 1/2in) high. (2). Footnotes: The item within this lot containing ivory has been registered in accordance with the Ivory Act (Section 10). Ref.2XJEEJT7 該批次中含有象牙的物品已根據《象牙法案》（章節10）註冊Ref.2XJEEJT7 十八/十九世紀 瑪瑙巧雕人物圖鼻烟壺 Provenance: Estelle Chapman, London Trudy and John Cohen, collection no.B43, acquired from the above circa 1973 來源：Estelle Chapman, 倫敦 Trudy及John Cohen伉儷，藏品編號B43，約1973年從上處獲得 The present lot charmingly illustrates how craftsmen integrated the stone's natural inclusions with established cultural themes. Here, vague inclusions are transformed into a scene of two scholars meeting by a tree, a theme familiar from paintings, see for example a painting of scholars beneath a tree, Ming dynasty, in the British Museum, London (acc.no.1951,0407,0.18). The tree symbolises scholarly virtue and integrity, while the meeting evokes the exchange of wisdom. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: * Y Ф * VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium. 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