George/Mary Bloch’s snuff bottles collection. Chinese snuff bottles, from the mid-18th century on, tend to be made from precious materials, such as jade, ivory, lacquer, porcelain, bronze, silver, enamel, jet, rock crystal and rhinoceros horn. Air-tight with little ivory spoons, they became common among the Chinese because Western-style snuff boxes, so fashionable in England and France from the late 17th century on, proved unsuitable for the warm, muggy climate of the East. They were often given as gifts, some with symbolic meaning—homonyms in praise of fertility or children, for example—and much care went into their craftsmanship. Like Japanese netsuke, snuff bottles were designed as hand-held treasures. Cherish stone as if it were gold is a common declaration among collectors who prize interesting stones. So true.
Useful link:
www.bonhams.com
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