chine Translucent brown-orange amber with dark inclusions. Amber snuff box carved with a chilong, flaming pearl and lingzhi - 6.1 cm
15
days
15
hours
36
minutes
25
seconds
Current bid
€ 1
Reserve price not met
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Selected by Peter Reynaers
Has nearly 30 years’ experience and moderated multiple online art research groups.
Estimate € 1,800 - € 2,200
 | €1 |
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Chinese amber carved tabatière dating to the late 18th/early 19th century Qing dynasty, featuring a relief chilong pursuing a flaming pearl with cloud scrolls and a lingzhi, carved in translucent amber with dark inclusions; height 6.1 cm, mouth diameter 1.4 cm, weight 22.7 g, with stopper, cork and spoon, in good condition.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
Beautiful Chinese amber carved snuff bottle, dating from the late 18th to early 19th century, Qing dynasty.
The vial, with a flattened ovoid shape, is carved in translucent amber with rich brown-orange tones, animated by deep natural inclusions that give the material remarkable depth when light passes through it.
The relief sculpture develops around the body and depicts a chi-long (chilong) in sinuous movement pursuing a blazing pearl, accompanied by cloud scrolls and a lingzhi, a motif traditionally associated with longevity and favorable omens in Chinese art.
The sculptor intelligently exploited the natural color and transparency variations of the amber: the lighter parts illuminate certain reliefs while the brown-black inclusions reinforce the depth of the composition.
The bottle retains its stopper, its cork, and its spoon. The stopper has been described as coral with a hardstone plaque.
Good overall condition, with light signs of wear compatible with age: small nibbling around the mouth, a few nicks and minor scratches as well as fine natural fissures in the material. The sculpture remains largely complete and highly legible.
Provenance: European private collection; acquired on the European specialist market in 2024.
A detailed study accompanies the piece and compares it with several Qing amber-carved snuff bottles kept or traded on the international market, notably comparable examples sold at Sotheby’s and Christie’s.
Height with stopper: 6.1 cm
Weight: 22.7 g
Neck diameter: 1.4 cm – opening: 0.5 cm
A Qing snuff bottle particularly appealing for the natural richness of its amber, the depth of its relief, and its auspicious iconography.
video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/c9gggbud1788741y4py78/ACivC5I9_LExTrqsgexFJgk?rlkey=0q9lm77jz496nrg72f7gxfa4t&dl=0
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateBeautiful Chinese amber carved snuff bottle, dating from the late 18th to early 19th century, Qing dynasty.
The vial, with a flattened ovoid shape, is carved in translucent amber with rich brown-orange tones, animated by deep natural inclusions that give the material remarkable depth when light passes through it.
The relief sculpture develops around the body and depicts a chi-long (chilong) in sinuous movement pursuing a blazing pearl, accompanied by cloud scrolls and a lingzhi, a motif traditionally associated with longevity and favorable omens in Chinese art.
The sculptor intelligently exploited the natural color and transparency variations of the amber: the lighter parts illuminate certain reliefs while the brown-black inclusions reinforce the depth of the composition.
The bottle retains its stopper, its cork, and its spoon. The stopper has been described as coral with a hardstone plaque.
Good overall condition, with light signs of wear compatible with age: small nibbling around the mouth, a few nicks and minor scratches as well as fine natural fissures in the material. The sculpture remains largely complete and highly legible.
Provenance: European private collection; acquired on the European specialist market in 2024.
A detailed study accompanies the piece and compares it with several Qing amber-carved snuff bottles kept or traded on the international market, notably comparable examples sold at Sotheby’s and Christie’s.
Height with stopper: 6.1 cm
Weight: 22.7 g
Neck diameter: 1.4 cm – opening: 0.5 cm
A Qing snuff bottle particularly appealing for the natural richness of its amber, the depth of its relief, and its auspicious iconography.
video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/c9gggbud1788741y4py78/ACivC5I9_LExTrqsgexFJgk?rlkey=0q9lm77jz496nrg72f7gxfa4t&dl=0
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Culture
chine
Century/timeframe
XVIIIe – début XIXe siècle | Dynastie Qing
Name of object
Amber snuff box carved with a chilong, flaming pearl and lingzhi
Acquired from
Auction house
Year acquired
2024
Material
Translucent brown-orange amber with dark inclusions.
Country acquired from
Austria
Condition
Good
Previous owner acquired from
Private collection
Height
6.1 cm
Previous owner - year acquired
2000
Width
4 cm
Previous owner - country acquired from
France
Depth
2.2 cm
I verify that I have obtained this object legally and that I am allowed to sell it
Yes
Authenticity
Original/official
Sold by
Disclaimer
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
