A CHALCEDONY AGATE 'MONKEY AND PEACH' SNUFF BOTTLE 18th/19th century The body of compressed oval shape, rising from a short foot with an oval foot ring around a flat base to a cylindrical neck, the darker areas of the pale stone crisply carved in relief to depict a monkey with finely detailed fur, crouching on a rocky outcrop and holding a ripe peach highlighted by the stone's natural white colouration, the reverse further incised with two insects, stopper. 5.4cm (2 1/8in) high. (2). Footnotes: 十八/十九世紀 瑪瑙巧雕靈猴獻壽紋鼻煙壺 Provenance: S. Marchant & Son, London Trudy and John Cohen, collection no.B53, acquired from the above circa 1979 來源：倫敦古董商 S. Marchant & Son Trudy及John Cohen伉儷，藏品編號B53，約1979年從上處獲得 Traditionally associated with cleverness and agility, the depiction of monkeys (hou 猴) also carried layered auspicious meanings. Through its homophonic relationship with descendants (hou 後), it expresses the hope for many children, and through its connection with marquis (hou 侯), it conveys a wish for advancement and promotion. On the present lot, the latter meaning is enhanced through the depiction of the two bees on the reverse, which not only cleverly make use of the stone's darker markings, but also produce a visual pun: the combined words for bee (feng 蜂) and monkey (hou 猴) form the rebus feng hou (封侯), meaning 'to receive a high official's salary'. When holding a peach, the animal alludes to the Monkey King Sun Wukong (孫悟空) from the Ming dynasty novel Journey to the West (Xiyou ji 西遊記), who famously stole peaches of Immortality from the celestial gardens of the Queen Mother of the West. This association produced the auspicious phrase lingshou xianshou 靈猴獻壽, meaning the 'sacred monkey offers longevity'. In the present lot, this association is cleverly highlighted by incorporating a natural white patch of the stone to represent the ripe fruit. A related jasper snuff bottle with a similar subject, 18th/19th century, is illustrated in Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Miniature Art from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Hong Kong, 1994, no.239, p.299, and was later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 31 May 2015, lot 27. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing