B29

Chalcedony, pale-beige with darker brown markings that depict a fish under water, appearing to be sorting through the water's bed, with bubbles emanating upwards towards the surface; the well hollowed bottle of rounded form.

Chinese, 1750 - 1860
Stopper: brown quartz
Provenance: Peter Fawcett, London
Hugh Moss, 1973
Height: 5.8cm

The manner in which the fish has been 'discovered' amongst the natural markings of this piece of agate is a demonstration of the Chinese craftsman' s ability to recognise and bring a wonderful world to the attention of the beholder. The fish is a naturalistic colour and is realistically and animatedly going about its life - a perfect subject created with a minimum of fuss and elaboration.