A FIGURAL ‘LIU HAI AND TOAD’ AMETHYST SNUFF BOTTLEAmethyst, the colors of the transparent crystal varying from deep purple to almost transparent white. China, late 18th – 19th centuryCarved to depict a smiling Liu Hai, accompanied by the three-legged toad, and carrying his string of cash over his shoulders. Skillfully executed with a good amount of character and spirit, this bottle is among the finest and most amusing figural carvings this author has ever seen. Details are neatly incised or carved in high relief, partially reticulated.Figural depictions of Liu Hai in Chinese snuff bottles are quite rare. They also exist in porcelain and jade.The story of Liu Hai is frequently told as "Liu Hai playing with the Golden Toad". However, there is a hidden meaning here: The Chinese word for "toad" is chanchu (蟾蜍). Sometimes, Chinese will only pronounce the first character chan (蟾). In some Chinese dialects, the character chan has a pronunciation very similar to qian (钱) which means "coin". Therefore, a storyteller reciting "Liu Hai playing with the Golden Toad" could also be heard by listeners as "Liu Hai playing with the gold coins".Shape: FiguralHollowing: FairMouth, neck and lip: Mouth succinct to depiction, lip slantedBase: NaturalStopper: Pink glass cabochon in imitation of tourmaline Height of the bottle with stopper: 6.7 cm.Width of the mouth: 6 mm.Condition: One section of the string reattached, one missing; otherwise good condition, maybe with some minuscule nibbles here and thereProvenance: American private collectionLiterature comparison: The Joe Grimberg Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles. Sotheby’s, New York, September 14th, 2010, lot 24 (for a figural porcelain bottle with the same subject) and lot 161 (for a non-figural amethyst bottle with the same subject). CHINESE SNUFF BOTTLES FROM THE COLLECTION OF BARBARA AND MARVIN DICKER. Bonhams, New York, March 16th, 2015, lot 1088. (for a figural nephrite bottle with the same subject)清代紫晶“劉海戯金蟾”鼻烟壺衣袋部分修復過以及缺失一小段，其他部分品相良好，局部有微小磕傷美國私人收藏