Scu, China, carving, agate

Scu, China, carving, agate

The bottle is an oblong flattened flask form with shoulders sloping up to a wide cylindrical neck and a dome-shaped stopper.
It is made of moss agate, green and grey, with green skin carved in relief. The stopper is made of carnelian set in metal (narrower than the neck and probably not original to this bottle, though attached to it by the time of its acquisition in 1910).
The carving depicts a bird on a rock beneath a pine tree.
The foot has an angular indentation underneath.
The skin is carved to form the pictorial decoration; the back of the bottle is left plain. The oblong shape suggests a nineteenth-century date.

Salting Bequest

Bequeathed by Mr. George Salting, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.

Snuff is powdered tobacco, usually blended with aromatic herbs or spices. The habit of snuff-taking spread to China from the West during the 17th century and became established in the 18th century. People in China (most snuff users were men) generally carried their snuff in a small bottle. Snuff bottles were made in and from a variety of shapes and materials. By the 20th century these bottles had become collectors' items, owing to the great variety of materials and decorative techniques used in their production.

C.1738&A-1910