A plain mottled spinach nephrite snuff bottle, well hollowed, with an amethyst stopper.

B14

Nephrite, mottled spinach interspersed with black and slightly lighter patches, the body of rounded form resting on a flattened foot.

Chinese, 1760-1850
Stopper: purple amethyst
Provenance: Robert Hall, 1982
Height: 5.4cm

Spinach jade was available to the Chinese lapidaries in large quantities only at the beginning of the 18th Century when trade routes with nearby Turkestan opened. The material was favoured by the Qianlong Emperor (1736-1795), and was used in large carved decorative mountains, large and small vases, plates, and brush pots as well as snuff bottles.