A CARVED RUBY-RED 'LONGEVITY SYMBOLS' SNUFF BOTTLE Possibly imperial, attributed to the Palace Workshops, Beijing, 1750-1820PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF KIM GREENA CARVED RUBY-RED 'LONGEVITY SYMBOLS' SNUFF BOTTLEPossibly imperial, attributed to the Palace Workshops, Beijing, 1750-1820Of compressed, spherical form, with a cylindrical neck and flat lip, standing on a raised oval footrim, the ruby-red bottle carved on one main side with a crane standing on a rock from which a pine tree grows, the reverse with a reclining deer resting on a rock looking back at lingzhi growing from rockwork, in the shade of an overhanging, blossoming prunus tree. 2 1/2in (6.5cm) high1750-1820 寶石紅料胎松鶴延年鼻煙壺一件或爲御製 或爲北京宮廷作坊製Provenance:Collection of Charles Cox, Auckland, New Zealand Quinn's Auction House, December 4, 2000 Kim Green collection no. 125The majority of snuff bottles of a ruby-red color produced in the Palace Workshops have a more formalized design carved on them. However, the use of highly symbolic natural subject matter also appears on bottles with an imperial designation.