Lot 59

A WHITE JADE ROUNDED SQUARE SNUFF BOTTLE WITH TIGER EYE STOPPER,1720-1850

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A WHITE JADE ROUNDED SQUARE SNUFF BOTTLE WITH TIGER EYE STOPPER,1720-1850

Estimate: £500 - £700

Starting Bid: £400

(0 Bids)

June 18, 2026 1:00 PM BST
Live Auction
London, United Kingdom

Description:

A WHITE JADE ROUNDED SQUARE SNUFF BOTTLE WITH TIGER EYE STOPPER,1720-1850 Of rounded square form, this white jade snuff bottle is carved with a plain, softly swelling body rising to a short cylindrical neck. The surface is deliberately restrained, allowing the even polish, pale tone and tactile smoothness of the stone to provide the principal visual interest. Its compact proportions and gently rounded shoulders give the bottle a quiet, balanced elegance, while the tiger eye stopper introduces a contrasting note of warm golden-brown colour. The bottle’s appeal lies in the purity of its material and the economy of its form. Unlike more heavily carved or pictorial snuff bottles, this example relies on the subtle luminosity of white jade, a material long prized in China for its associations with refinement, moral virtue and cultivated taste. The softly rounded square outline is particularly well suited to the hand, combining the clarity of a geometric silhouette with the softened edges expected of an object intended for intimate handling. The tiger eye stopper provides an effective counterpoint to the body. Its rich, chatoyant surface, visible in the photographs as bands of amber, honey and brown, contrasts with the cool opacity of the jade. This pairing of materials would have enhanced the bottle’s status as a personal luxury object, with the stopper not merely serving a practical function but completing the chromatic and textural composition of the piece. Snuff bottles became an important form of elite Chinese material culture during the Qing dynasty, when powdered tobacco was carried in small, carefully made containers rather than larger European-style boxes. Such bottles were exchanged, displayed, handled and appreciated in social settings, and their small scale encouraged close attention to stone quality, polish, silhouette and fittings. In jade examples, restraint could be as significant as ornament, the value residing in the quality of the carving and the character of the stone itself. Dated to 1720-1850, this bottle reflects the Qing preference for finely worked hardstone objects of personal use. Its undecorated body places emphasis on proportion, finish and material presence, while the tiger eye stopper adds a distinctive and elegant finish. The result is a refined snuff bottle whose strength lies in understatement, balance and the quiet luxury of well-polished jade. Height: 6.5cm

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
£0 £99 £5
£100 £199 £10
£200 £499 £20
£500 £999 £50
£1,000 £1,999 £100
£2,000 £4,999 £200
£5,000 £9,999 £500
£10,000 £19,999 £1,000
£20,000 £49,999 £2,000
£50,000 £99,999 £5,000
£100,000 £199,999 £10,000
£200,000 £499,999 £20,000
£500,000 £999,999 £50,000
£1,000,000 + £100,000