A CELADON AND RUSSET JADE ‘DOUBLE FISH’ SNUFF BOTTLE, CHINA, 1680-1750

Expert’s note:
The grayish color of the jade is typical of that used in carvings of the late 17th to early 18th century. Double snuff bottles, with two separate compartments, are quite rare.

Finely carved in the form of two scaly fish side by side facing away from each other. Each is carved with a lotus stem in its open mouth, gripping the pearl stopper in its jaws. The translucent stone is of a grayish celadon hue with dark brown and russet patches and pale russet veining.


Provenance:
Robert Kleiner & Co. Ltd., London, United Kingdom, 2003. A private collection in the United Kingdom, acquired from the above. A copy of the original invoice from Robert Kleiner & Co. Ltd., dated 25 October 2003, confirming the dating above, and stating the purchase price of GBP 4,000 or approx.
EUR 10,000
(converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies this lot. Robert Kleiner (1948-2014) was an important expert of Chinese snuff bottles, beginning his long career at the Sotheby’s Chinese Art department in London. Along with Hugh Moss and Bob Hall, he became a key advisor to the Mary and George Bloch collection, and it was Robert who wrote and produced the very first catalog of their bottles.

Condition:
Very good condition with minor wear and minuscule nibbling. Two of the lotus stems with small repairs. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which have developed into small hairline cracks.

Stoppers: Pearl
Weight: 55.6 g
Dimensions: Height incl. stoppers 92 mm, Diameter neck 8 and 10 mm and mouth 5.5 and 5.6 mm


The twin-fish subject is common in Chinese art
, and it also appears in snuff bottles where the two are combined in a single bottle form. The symbolism is perhaps more intriguingly expressed, however, and certainly the sculptural possibilities greater, if the two fish form separate bottles, as in the present lot. The motif of the twin fish is symbolic for a happy marriage. The connection comes from the thousands of eggs which fish lay, emblematic of fecundity. This same motif appears on marriage bowls as well as marriage vases, but it is extremely rare among snuff bottles. This may have been a bottle for a couple who both took snuff, in which case perhaps the two halves became ‘his and her’ snuff bottles, each containing a different mixture of snuff.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 25 May 2014, lot 1183
Price: HKD 375,000 or approx.
EUR 53,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A white jade ‘double fish’ snuff bottle, Qing dynasty, 18th/19th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject and similar execution with each fish forming a separate bottle.




1680-1750
年青玉留皮雙魚鼻煙壺


精美雕刻成兩條並排背對的魚形，張開的嘴裡的叼著一條蓮花莖，嘴裡珍珠塞。 半透明的玉石呈青色，帶有深棕色和黃褐色斑紋以及淺黃褐色紋理。


專家注釋：
玉石的淺灰色是十七世紀末至十八世紀初雕刻所用的典型顏色。鼻煙壺有兩個獨立的隔間，是相當罕見的。


來源：
Robert Kleiner & Co. Ltd.，英國倫敦，2003 年；英國私人收藏，購自上述機藝廊。隨附 Robert Kleiner & Co. Ltd. 於 2003 年 10 月 25 日開具的原始發票副本，確認上述日期，並註明購買價格為 4,000 英鎊或約
10,000 歐元
（在撰寫本文時已根據通貨膨脹進行換算和調整）。Robert Kleiner（1948-2014）是一位重要的中國鼻煙壺專家，他在倫敦蘇富比中國藝術部門度過漫長的職業生涯。他與Hugh Moss和Bob Hall一起成為Mary 與 George Bloch收藏的重要顧問，Robert撰寫並製作了他們的第一個鼻煙壺目錄。

品相：
狀況非常好，有輕微磨損、小刻痕。玉石帶有天然内沁和裂隙，有的已發展成細小的冲線。兩根蓮花莖有小修補。

壺蓋：珍珠
重量：55.6 克
尺寸：總高 92 毫米，頸部直徑分別為8和 10毫米，壺口5.5和5.6毫米


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2014年5月25日，lot 1183
價格：HKD 375,000（相當於今日
EUR 53,500
）
描述：清十八 / 十九世紀白玉雕「年年有餘」雙連鼻煙壺
專家評論：比較非常相近的主題，以及類似的做法，每條魚形成一個單獨的鼻煙壺。