A JADEITE ‘SQUIRREL AND BIRD’ SNUFF BOTTLE, QING DYNASTY China, 1644-1912. Well hollowed, of rounded rectangular form with a short oval foot and a broad cylindrical neck. Carved in relief with a bushy-tailed squirrel reaching for a fruit hanging from a branch to one side and to the other with a bird perched on a branch. The opaque stone of a creamy-white tone with russet and green inclusions.

Provenance: English private collection.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, the stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time. The spoon is lost.

Stopper: Jadeite
Weight: 82.5 g
Dimensions: Height incl. stopper 65 mm, Diameter neck 17 mm and mouth 6 mm

Auction result comparison: Compare a jadeite snuff bottle, of closely related form and similar color, at Sotheby’s London in Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art on 11 May 2011, lot 175, sold for GBP 18,750 (part lot, together with two other jadeite snuff bottles).