A CHALCEDONY AGATE 'FROG AND LOTUS' SNUFF BOTTLE 18th/19th century The body of rounded form below a cylindrical neck and raised on a short recessed foot, the toffee-coloured stone highlighted on one side by green-hued skin elegantly carved away in relief to depict a small frog gazing upwards, below three large lotus leaves with finely detailed veins and a lotus bud on undulating stems, a bat discreetly incised on the side and the reverse uncarved, stopper. 6cm (2 3/8in) high. (2). Footnotes: The item within this lot containing ivory has been registered in accordance with the Ivory Act (Section 10). Ref.556TD9ZA 該批次中含有象牙的物品已根據《象牙法案》（章節10）註冊Ref.556TD9ZA 十八/十九世紀 瑪瑙巧雕荷塘圖鼻煙壺 Provenance: Bob C. Stevens (1917-1980) Sotheby's Honolulu, 7 November 1981, lot 103 Trudy and John Cohen, collection no.B50 Published and Illustrated: Bob C. Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, New York, 1976, no.545 Published and Exhibited: Mikimoto Hall, Catalogue Tokyo, October 1978, no.123 來源：Bob C. Stevens (1917-1980) 檀香山蘇富比，1981年11月7日，拍品編號103 Trudy及John Cohen伉儷，藏品編號B50 著錄：Bob C. Stevens，《The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles》，紐約，1976年，編號545 展覽著錄：御木本展廳,《圖錄》，東京，1978年10月，編號123 The stone from which the present lot is carved is of a type of chalcedony agate distinguished by its green, slightly dendritic skin. This natural colouration was skillfully incorporated into the depiction of subjects of the same hue, including lotuses, frogs, or crickets. Here, lotus leaves (lian 蓮) are paired with a frog (wa 蛙) to create a visual rebus expressing the wish for many children, the lotus being a homophone for 'one after another' (lian 連) and the frog for 'baby' (wa 娃). The subtle addition of an incised bat (fu 蝠), a homophone for good fortune (fu 福), further enhances the auspicious message of this bottle, bestowing blessings and posterity upon its owner. A similar chalcedony snuff bottle of the same subject, 1760-1850 and attributed to the Official School, is illustrated by H.Moss, V.Graham and K.B.Tsang, A Treasury of Snuff Bottles: the Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol.2.2, Hong Kong, 1998, no.311, pp.354-355, and was later sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 23 November 2010, lot 40. 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