A WHITE AND RUSSET JADE ‘GOURD AND BUTTERFLY’ SNUFF BOTTLE, CHINA, 18TH CENTURY
Exquisitely carved from a pebble in the shape of a gourd, decorated in high relief with leafy branches encircling butterflies and melons. The translucent stone is of a fine white hue with distinct russet veining and clouding, and scattered icy inclusions.


Provenance:
Spink & Son, London, United Kingdom, 1989. Collection of Joseph (1938-2005) and Bella Shapiro (1941-2011), acquired from the above and thence by descent in the same family. A copy of a signed invoice from Spink & Son Ltd., addressed to J. Shapiro, dated 27 February 1989, and dating the present lot to the 18th century, accompanies this lot.

Condition:
Very good condition with minor wear, light nibbling, and a microscopic nick to the mouth. The jade has natural inclusions and fissures, some of which may have developed into minuscule hairline cracks.

Stopper: Glass with a bronze collar and metal spoon
Weight: 66.1 g
Dimensions: Height incl. stopper 70 mm, Diameter neck 12 mm and mouth 4.4 mm


The butterfly (die) and gourd (gua) form the pun ‘guadie’
, a rebus for ‘ceaseless generations of descendants’. In addition, because the gourd has a long stem bearing fruits of all sizes, each containing many seeds, it is itself an apt symbol for fertility. The subject matter of gourds was popular at the Imperial court and appears on a wide range of imperial enamels on glass, metal, and porcelain.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 28 November 2019, lot 502
Price: HKD 118,750 or approx.
EUR 15,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A carved white and russet jade ‘gourds’ snuff bottle, Qing dynasty, 18th-19th century
Expert remark: Compare the related form with a butterfly and scrolling vines and the similarly colored pebble. Note the different stopper and the smaller size (63 mm).




十八世紀白玉瓜瓞綿綿鼻烟壺

白玉質，溫潤厚實，局部帶有金黃沁色。雕琢為飽滿瓜果形，頂部開口，掏膛精細。外壁藤蔓攀延纏繞，連綿不絕，大小瓜葉錯落掩映，葉脈清晰細膩。金黃沁色處雕蝴蝶。一派生機勃勃之感，寓有「瓜瓞綿綿、子孫滿堂、福康永享」吉祥之意。整體質地細膩，表現出枝葉繁茂，瓜果鮮嫩的光澤品相，且大小適中，渾圓飽滿，適於掌中把玩。


來源：
英國倫敦Spink & Son, 1989年；Joseph (1938-2005) 與 Bella Shapiro (1941-2011) 收藏，購於上述一浪，保持存在同一家族至今。隨附一份Spink & Son Ltd出具給J. Shapiro的發票副本，時間為1989年2月27 日，並斷代為十八世紀。

品相：
狀況極好，有輕微磨損、磕損，口部有微小的刻痕。玉石有天然的紋理和内沁，其中一些可能發展成細裂紋。

壺蓋：銅托片和金屬勺子的玻璃
重量：66.1 克
尺寸：含蓋高 70 毫米，頸部直徑12 毫米與壺口直徑4.4毫米


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2019年11月28日，lot 502
價格：HKD 118,750（相當於今日
EUR 15,000
）
描述：清十八至十九世紀白玉瓜形鼻煙壺
專家評論：比較相近的外形 ，以及有蝴蝶、捲曲的藤蔓和類似顏色的卵石。請注意不同的壺蓋和尺寸較小 (63 mm)。