chine Translucent brown-orange amber with dark inclusions. Amber snuff box carved with a chilong, flaming pearl and lingzhi - 6.1 cm
07
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17
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28
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24
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Current bid
€ 1
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Expert
Selected by Sarah Le Helley
Studied Asian art and art market management; researched art in Taipei; worked in auctions.
Estimate € 1,800 - € 2,000
 | €1 |
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This Qing dynasty snuff bottle, dating from the late 18th to early 19th century, is carved from translucent brown-orange amber with dark inclusions and depicts a chilong pursuing a flaming pearl alongside lingzhi.
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 vessel, of flattened ovoid shape, is carved in translucent amber with rich brown-orange tones, animated by deep natural inclusions darker that give the material remarkable depth when light passes through it.
The relief sculpture unfolds around the body and depicts a chilong in sinuous motion 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 enhance the depth of the composition.
The bottle retains its stopper, its cork and its spoon. The stopper has been described as formerly coral with a hardstone inlay.
Good overall condition, with light signs of use compatible with age: small chips around the mouth, a few nicks and minor scratches as well as fine natural fissures in the material. The sculpture remains largely complete and very 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 preserved 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 particularly charming Qing snuff bottle for the richness of its amber, the depth of its relief and its auspicious iconography.
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 vessel, of flattened ovoid shape, is carved in translucent amber with rich brown-orange tones, animated by deep natural inclusions darker that give the material remarkable depth when light passes through it.
The relief sculpture unfolds around the body and depicts a chilong in sinuous motion 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 enhance the depth of the composition.
The bottle retains its stopper, its cork and its spoon. The stopper has been described as formerly coral with a hardstone inlay.
Good overall condition, with light signs of use compatible with age: small chips around the mouth, a few nicks and minor scratches as well as fine natural fissures in the material. The sculpture remains largely complete and very 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 preserved 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 particularly charming Qing snuff bottle for the richness of its amber, the depth of its relief and its auspicious iconography.
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
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