Pheasant Snuff Bottle

B39

Quartz, chalcedony with a crystalline area, of mottled pale brown colour with a few darker inclusions, one of which has been cleverly incorporated within the crystalline area to create a pheasant with long and flowing feathers; the well hollowed bottle of bulbous form.

Chinese, 1750 - 1860
Stopper: green moss agate
Provenance: Hugh Moss Ltd, 1974
Height: 6.6cm

This very clever use of the crystalline area amply demonstrates the abilities of the Qing craftsmen who worked hard at creating these masterpieces. They were designing for an audience that was becoming more and more sophisticated as the craze for acquiring great snuff bottles by the elite gathered pace during the eighteenth century.