Scu, China, carving, agate

The bottle is a tall flattened oblong bottle with slightly convex sides and a very short cylindrical neck. It does not have a stopper.
It is made of agate, tawny yellow and grey with a patch of red, with decoration carved in relief.
The decoration depicts two birds, one shown from the underside, in a pine tree, and a bat. On the reverse there is a monkey on a horse holding a flowering branch with a flowering tree above.
The circular foot has an angular indentation underneath.
The red patch is used for the carving of the bat, reinforcing it's auspicious character. The Chinese word for bat, fu, sounds the same as the word for good fortune, so bats are often used to express a wish for good fortune; red is a particularly lucky colour, much used for wedding dress and paraphernalia.

Wells Bequest

Bequeathed by Arthur Wells, accessioned in 1882. 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.

1627-1882