We have created a series of snuff bottles that have been created for many years, although I said myself, but very important. My wife, thank God, share my interest in these small bottles, but maybe I should warn you that collecting anything is a bit like a bug. Once caught, it will always be with you, it can be a very troublesome!
Have you searched for pebbles or shells by the sea, chose their color or shape, and found them so attractive that you can't throw them away? If so, you have the temperament of a dedicated collector.
Part of the fun of having these snuff bottles lies in the tactile appeal of handling them.
Unlimited possibilities
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There are also such broad and diverse collection possibilities. A series can be based on any great Chinese art, and in every field, there may be very important examples in this miniature art work.
There are collections based on jade and hard stone carvings, others prefer glass and glass, or Chinese porcelain, or enamel and cloisonne, or you might want a collection based on painting.
I can imagine how you find it hard to see some snuff bottles based on Chinese painting, but they exist. Excellent signature landscape scenes, even portraits of exquisite calligraphy [usually poetry], are actually painted inside glass or even on stone snuff bottles.
Some collections include bottleless rare stones, or lacquer, or amber and ivory. Most collections are collectors' favorite theme, but include a variety of other precious bottles. Some collections are used as themes; animals, or colors such as Imperial Yellow or Blue and White, and because there are many possibilities, no two collections look the same.
International contact
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For anyone considering buying a snuff bottle, I should explain that this is an international pursuit. There is even an international Chinese snuff bottle association ' has a large and active membership. After becoming a member for a long time, we found that other members are so interesting and friendly.
There is a connection between collectors who lead to friendship until we meet in the auction room! It's very worthwhile to join because there is a very rich quarterly magazine filled with nice color photos. Surprisingly, information is freely shared between members and professional dealers. This way you can learn a lot, in fact it is far more than just a lot of very beautiful and excellent books by studying this theme.
Dangerous temptation
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Most people who encounter these snuff bottles for the first time may be in antique shops, auctions or antique fairs, otherwise in museums or sometimes encounter collectors. Once you see it, some people will be tempted the next time they buy a bottle, but the quality of these first purchases is often poor. Later, familiar with more knowledge, these first bottles often proved to be disappointing. They tend to be very costly mistakes. Unfortunately, there are many very poor bottles, some of which are even brand new, making money from collecting the craze. Even an article like this may lead someone to buy without enough knowledge, I hope not.
My suggestion is to participate in some snuff auctions and visit some professional dealers in addition to joining the community.
When you go to the auction room, be sure to watch the day, usually one or two days before the auction. The first impression may be disappointing, because there are a lot of poor quality snuff bottles, and seeing so much behind the glass is not the best way to show them.
Be sure to choose something that appeals to you and asks to check them out. Then you will have a chance to deal with some, this is when the magic begins. I don't know how to explain what happens, but there is a sense of pleasure that can only be obtained by dealing with a good work.
Our collection
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I should point out that our first bottle did not immediately attract my attention. Surrounded by many beautiful and colorful snuff bottles of various shapes and sizes in the dealer display case, this brown and beige bottle looks quite monotonous. Occasionally, I checked it and soon I knew I had to buy it.
Only another collector can fully understand the strong impulse of a person, which is the closest feeling at first sight. Someone told me that students' students tend to zoom in. This is one of the signs that dealers pay attention to. Of course, as collectors, we always try to hide our interest. This snuff bottle has been purchased, which is still the most popular and has become the basis of our collection.
Our collection includes many types of snuff bottles, but mainly hard rock, known as "picture agate", each of which is unique because they never have two similarities. In order to fully understand these snuff bottles, I need to tell you more about how to make stone bottles. All good early snuff bottles are made, they need to be small, but they can hold enough snuff, not as heavy as their people, usually in the sleeves. All of these bottles are designed to be comfortable to the touch and sealed with cork stoppers to maintain optimum snuff.
In Europe, hinge boxes are used, but despite the humidity in China, they prefer bottles with cork stoppers. All snuff bottles have a stopper, the cork is fixed on the stopper, and the other end of the cork is an ivory spoon. In addition to size and shape, these plugs rarely match the bottle. Regarding what type and color is considered best for snuff bottles, this is a matter of personal choice.
Hollow bottle
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Stone bottles are carved into a variety of shapes, but the openings in the neck are usually quite small, usually about 5 mm in diameter. Imagine a piece of quartzite that could not be scratched with a stainless steel knife, but in the 18th century it was carved into a spherical bottle.
Next, it is drilled through the neck and hollowed out through this hole, so that even the difficult areas such as the shoulders of the bottle are thin. The delicate bottle is hollow and looks more like a blown glass, and is appropriately described as "thin eggshell." If you put them in a bowl of water, they will inhale enough air to float.
Although I have already said that drilling is used, the information available on the manufacturing method is incredible because the drilling and cutting discs are pedal-operated, Heath Robinson' However, I believe that after years of experience, they have gained more control and feel than modern electronic devices [important for jade work, because it is very difficult for certain parts of the stone to break easily in other areas].
Most engraving is achieved by grinding with jade, gemstones, sand and other abrasive particles. The hollowing is first done by drilling and then carefully grinding it by using a special document-like tool. These tools are made by hammering metal shapes on abrasive particles that, once embedded, are easily bent to reach the most clumsy parts.
Chinese people appreciate these wonderful stone snuff bottles, which are made of a variety of stone materials. The purity of the materials is extremely high, especially the jade is very precious. Chalcedony or quartz bottles once the "egg shell" & #39; shows a significant mark formed by the formation of crystals.
From 瑕疵 to picture
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I believe that everyone can appreciate such a bottle, because the cute shape and purity of the stone is not to be missed. What I find even more fascinating is their amazing way of making great use of the flaws and inclusions that often occur in stone.
Most of the outer layers of quartz and jade have different colors, especially pebbles from riverbeds. They also have defects and defects as well as other colored materials, usually deep in the stone. Sometimes these may be very thin skin-like inclusions, and large spots are found in others.
The problem is that no one knows what is in the rock until the cut is complete and the secret of the stone is made public. It is in this type of material that the picture agate ' is finished. The best of these incredible snuff bottles look like the inclusions that form the image appear in the right place, as if to order!
There are different types of work in this group of bottles. The first batch is what we call "Cameo' engraving. These use the inclusions of the skin or spot type; they can be very thick and can be embossed. The other is called shadow. Agate ' these use the mark in the bottle, with the help of a little carving, created an image. Finally, the most fascinating is called ' Silhouette Agates' but in this group, No obvious engraving is required. The image is primarily achieved by angle and shape selection and the size and position of the bottle formed from the rock. These bottles must be seen to be authentic.
The really exciting fact for me is that some of these bottles have photos on both sides!
Sadly, few of them signed. We only know that some engravers are called Suzhou Schools. Their work is easily identified by the style and quality of the sculpture, and they use each mark in the stone to form the picture. When they are good, they are amazing bottles, but later works tend to look too stiff, and the sculpture lacks the smoother artistic sense of the main engraver. Unfortunately, almost none of these bottles were actually hollowed out.
Our first...
Orignal From: Collect Chinese snuff bottles - Sorcerer's Stone pictures!
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