China Qing snuff-box in carved amethyst and silver filigree – circa 1825 - 7.7 cm
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Current bid
€ 220
Reserve price not met
Expert
Selected by Sarah Le Helley
Studied Asian art and art market management; researched art in Taipei; worked in auctions.
Estimate € 3,200 - € 3,600
 | €220 | |
|---|---|---|
| €200 |
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This Qing-dynasty snuff bottle, dating to around 1825, is carved from amethyst and decorated with silver filigree, with a coral stopper and spoon.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
Remarkable Chinese snuffbox in carved amethyst, dating from the first half of the 19th century, during the Qing dynasty, circa 1825.
The body of the flask is carved from beautiful amethyst quartz, displaying a rich palette of tones ranging from light lilac to deep violet. The stone naturally retains areas that are more translucent, crystalline veils, and internal variations that give each face a different depth and appearance depending on the lighting.
The two large faces are bas-relief carved with a design pairing blooming peonies, birds and branches, in the early 19th-century Chinese decorative tradition. Peonies, particularly valued in Qing arts, are traditionally associated with prosperity, elegance and prestige.
One of the most remarkable elements of this bottle is its elaborate silver filigree mount. It forms a true openwork frame around the amethyst, with finely worked bands on the sides and around the neck. On both faces, metal elements depicting stylized rocks complement the stone’s carved decoration, creating a composition that blends lapidary work and goldsmithing.
The base is also carefully surrounded by twisted and interlaced silver work. The entire mount precisely follows the bottle’s profile, which testifies to a design specific to this bottle and not a simple generic fitted mount.
The snuffbox retains its convex stopper in red-orange coral, mounted on cork, as well as its antique spoon.
Dimensions: 7.7 × 4 × 2.5 cm. Weight: 101.8 g.
The overall condition is good for its age. The amethyst shows natural inclusions, veils and cracks inherent to the crystal, already characteristic of the stone. The silver mount shows an aged patina, a few small deformations, and signs of use consistent with its age. The detailed photographs are an integral part of the condition description.
Provenance: former British private collection; provenance documented since 1970; then European private collection. The piece is accompanied by its historical documentation as well as a Mimosa certificate of authenticity.
A snuffbox particularly appealing due to the uncommon combination of carved amethyst, silver filigree and coral stopper, reinforced by a long-documented provenance spanning more than half a century.
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 TranslateRemarkable Chinese snuffbox in carved amethyst, dating from the first half of the 19th century, during the Qing dynasty, circa 1825.
The body of the flask is carved from beautiful amethyst quartz, displaying a rich palette of tones ranging from light lilac to deep violet. The stone naturally retains areas that are more translucent, crystalline veils, and internal variations that give each face a different depth and appearance depending on the lighting.
The two large faces are bas-relief carved with a design pairing blooming peonies, birds and branches, in the early 19th-century Chinese decorative tradition. Peonies, particularly valued in Qing arts, are traditionally associated with prosperity, elegance and prestige.
One of the most remarkable elements of this bottle is its elaborate silver filigree mount. It forms a true openwork frame around the amethyst, with finely worked bands on the sides and around the neck. On both faces, metal elements depicting stylized rocks complement the stone’s carved decoration, creating a composition that blends lapidary work and goldsmithing.
The base is also carefully surrounded by twisted and interlaced silver work. The entire mount precisely follows the bottle’s profile, which testifies to a design specific to this bottle and not a simple generic fitted mount.
The snuffbox retains its convex stopper in red-orange coral, mounted on cork, as well as its antique spoon.
Dimensions: 7.7 × 4 × 2.5 cm. Weight: 101.8 g.
The overall condition is good for its age. The amethyst shows natural inclusions, veils and cracks inherent to the crystal, already characteristic of the stone. The silver mount shows an aged patina, a few small deformations, and signs of use consistent with its age. The detailed photographs are an integral part of the condition description.
Provenance: former British private collection; provenance documented since 1970; then European private collection. The piece is accompanied by its historical documentation as well as a Mimosa certificate of authenticity.
A snuffbox particularly appealing due to the uncommon combination of carved amethyst, silver filigree and coral stopper, reinforced by a long-documented provenance spanning more than half a century.
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
China
Century/timeframe
Première moitié du XIXe siècle | Dynastie Qing, vers 1825
Name of object
Qing snuff-box in carved amethyst and silver filigree – circa 1825
Acquired from
Auction house
Year acquired
2020
Country acquired from
Austria
Condition
Very good
Previous owner acquired from
Gallery / Antique dealer
Height
7.7 cm
Previous owner - year acquired
1970
Width
4 cm
Previous owner - country acquired from
United Kingdom
Depth
2.5 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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