A CARVED PALE CELADON JADE SNUFF BOTTLE1750-1820 Of rounded form with a cylindrical, slightly flared neck, and with a neatly carved oval footrim, the pale celadon stone very well-hollowed, carved on one main side within a circular panel with a cat by a banana tree and stalks of millet, looking up at a butterfly, the reverse with three goats standing on rockwork beside lingzhi , beneath a sun high in the cloudy sky, each narrow side carved with a catfish and a fan-tailed carp swimming in bubbly water; stopper. 2 3/8in (6cm) high 1750-1820 青白玉刻耋耄圖及三羊開泰鼻煙壺一件 Provenance: Helen D. Ling Estate, September 2, 2007 Joan and Ted Dorf Collection, no. 365 The word for cat mao is also homophonous with the word for 'age eighty to ninety' so is a symbol of longevity, often used inbination with butterflies (part of the word die from 'butterfly', hudie , also means 'seventies to eighties'. A bottle such as this would likely have been given as a birthday gift to either a member of the emperor's family or to a high ranking official.