A smoky crystal plain snuff bottle, very well hollowed, with a green and brown jade stopper.

B8

Quartz, brown-grey smoky crystal, well carved and hollowed, resulting in a semi- translucent body resting on a raised oval foot.

Chinese, 1750-1860
Stopper: green and brown jade
Provenance: Richard Marchant, 1978
Height: 6.5cm

Smoky crystal is another mineral that was available in abundance to the lapidaries of Qing China. Not all of the large numbers of smoky crystal bottles made during this period were good, but this is a well-made example, its translucency enabling the user to see the amount of snuff left inside.