A HAIR CRYSTAL SNUFF BOTTLE, QING DYNASTY
China, 19th century. Well hollowed, the rounded rectangular body tapering to the slightly concave foot and rising to a cylindrical neck with a flat lip. The transparent smoky quartz stone suffused with many thousands of hair-like black tourmaline inclusions.


Provenance
: The VWS Collection, acquired by the previous owner’s father (1890-1977) in China during the 1930s and thence by descent within the family. The VWS collection tells the extraordinary story of a family fleeing the Tsarist Empire in Russia. Their journey began in 1903 as the Chinese Eastern Railway, the eastern branch of the Trans-Siberian Railway, was completed. Fleeing, like others, a climate of political persecution and anti-Semitism, the family settled in Harbin, the most northerly city in China and started to develop its businesses from 1906 onwards. Like many others, they were attracted to this cosmopolitan place, then a major economic and cultural center in Manchuria, because of its large Jewish community. In Harbin, the father, a cultured, open-minded and multilingual man, felt at home and his early successes in business earned him respect. By 1932, he and his family were forced to flee again, following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, and found a new home in Shanghai. From there, his businesses took him to Hong Kong, North America, and other Asian countries, where the family would remain for many years. They began collecting art in China during the 1930s and these artworks have remained with the family heirs ever since.

Condition
: Very good condition with minor wear, few tiny nicks, light scratches, and minor nibbling to the mouth. The stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks.

Stopper: Coral and pearl
Weight: 35.4 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 67 mm. Diameter neck 15 mm and mouth 7 mm


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams London, 12 May 2022, lot 216
Price: GBP 2,040 or approx.
EUR 2,600
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A hair crystal snuff bottle, 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related stone with similar hair-like inclusions. Note the size (5.8 cm).




清代髮晶鼻煙壺

中國，十九世紀。掏膛良好，圓柱形頸部，圓肩，肩部以下收斂，圈足。透明的煙晶中充滿髮絲狀的黑色金屬線。


來源：
VWS 收藏，前主人的父親 (1890-1977)於上世紀三十年代在中國購得，保存在同一家族至今。每個碗上都有一個收藏舊標籤 ‘VWS’；一個碗上有標籤 ‘62’；法國古玩交易，購於上述收藏。The VWS collection收藏講述了一個家庭逃離沙皇俄羅斯帝國的非凡故事。他們的旅程始於 1903 年，當時西伯利亞大鐵路東部支線中東鐵路竣工。和其他人一樣，為了逃離政治迫害和反猶太主義的環境，全家定居在中國最北端的城市哈爾濱，並從 1906 年開始發展業務。像許多其他人一樣，他們被這個國際化的城市吸引，因為這裡有龐大的猶太社區，當時這裡是滿洲的主要經濟和文化中心。在哈爾濱，父親是一個有教養、思想開放、會說多種語言的人，他早年在商業上的成功為他贏得了尊重。1932 年，日本入侵滿洲後，他和家人再次被迫逃離，並在上海找到了新家。從那裡開始，他的生意將他帶到了香港、北美和其他亞洲國家，他的家人在那裡待了很多年。 他們於 1930 年代開始在中國收藏藝術品，這些藝術品自此一直由家族繼承人保管。

品相：
狀況極好，有輕微磨損、刻痕、細小劃痕，以及壺口輕微的磕損。玉石上有天然裂縫，有的可能發展成細小裂縫。

壺蓋：珊瑚和珍珠
重量：35.4 克
尺寸：含蓋高67 毫米. 頸部直徑15 毫米，壺口直徑7 毫米


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：倫敦邦翰斯，2022年5月12日，lot 216
價格：GBP 2,040（相當於今日
EUR 2,600
）
描述：十九世紀髮晶鼻煙壺
專家評論：比較非常相近的髮晶石。請注意尺寸 (5.8厘米)。