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A RARE WHITE JADE MYTHICAL TORTOISE (BIXI) SNUFF BOTTLE Qianlong, 1736-1795 image 1
A RARE WHITE JADE MYTHICAL TORTOISE (BIXI) SNUFF BOTTLE Qianlong, 1736-1795 image 2
A RARE WHITE JADE MYTHICAL TORTOISE (BIXI) SNUFF BOTTLE Qianlong, 1736-1795 image 3
PROPERTY FROM THE FRANCINE AND BERNARD WALD COLLECTION OF FINE CHINESE SNUFF BOTTLES
Lot 182

A RARE WHITE JADE MYTHICAL TORTOISE (BIXI) SNUFF BOTTLE
Qianlong, 1736-1795

17 March 2025, 09:00 EDT
New York

Sold for US$25,600 inc. premium

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A RARE WHITE JADE MYTHICAL TORTOISE (BIXI) SNUFF BOTTLE

Qianlong, 1736-1795
The bottle of short profile and delicately carved as a tortoise with a gently curving carapace above that is lightly incised with a network of hexagonal cells and below with the ridges of the lower body, the head and gaping circular mouth form the neck of the bottle with the horns rising to the carapace, the trilobed tail swishing upward over the other end of the shell, the interior well hollowed, fitted silk-lined dark wood box with inlaid bing (fire) character to the base.
3/4in (2 cm) high, and 1 3/4in (4.8cm) long, silk-lined fitted hardwood box

Footnotes

1736-1795 乾隆 珍罕白玉瑞獸形鼻煙壺一件

For very similar examples of this rare type, see Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles, The White Wings Collection, pp. 47-48, no. 24, where the author notes that approximately a dozen such tortoise jade bottles are recorded. See also Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, pp. 41-42, no. 5; and also, Clare Lawrence, Miniature Masterpieces from the Middle Kingdom, The Monimar Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles, pp.160-161, no. 74

A red-painted number to the underside of this bottle, 86.104 (?) suggests a museum or collector's accession number.

Additional information

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