Scu, China, carving, chalcedony

Scu, China, carving, chalcedony

The bottle is a flattened flask form with sloping shoulders, curving inwards towards the base and a two-part stopper.
It is made of chalcedony, grey with a dark brown skin, with decoration carved in relief. The stopper is of crackled glass coloured pink and white to imitate rose quartz, with a finial of glass coloured green to imitate jade.
The carved decoration depicts a boy with a tall lotus plant in one hand and a string of coins in the other, and a three-legged toad.
The high foot has a marked angular indentation underneath.
The dark brown skin is carved in relief to form the pictorial design, in a colour contrasting strongly with the background; the background and reverse of the the bottle are left plain.

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 generally carried snuff in a small bottle. 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.1888&A-1910