Snuff bottle, glass coloured green with carved decoration in relief, China, 1750-1850
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1750-1850
The bottle is a rounded flattened flask form without a stopper. It is made of glass, coloured dark green to imitate jade, with relief decoration. The decoration depicts catfish amid waves spouting a pavilion, and a bat.
On the reverse is a crane carrying a rod in its mouth flying over a pavilion on waves, and a bat. The bottle does not have a separate foot but there is an indentation underneath. The monochrome carved glass suggests a relatively early date. The fish spouting a pavilion may represent shen shi ,'Sea-monster market', the Chinese title of which closely resembles sheng shi, meaning success (Eberhard, p. 227).
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 2
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Dimensions
- Height 5.5 cm
- Materials and techniques
- Green glass, with carved decoration in relief
Technical characteristics
- Place recorded
- China
Identification
- Candidate id
- vam-O7866
- Museum object number
- C.1685-1910
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked single-object source. Wider type attribution and authenticity have not been independently verified.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type and source attribution against specialist references.