Chinese Snuff Bottle Discussion Forum 中國鼻煙壺討論論壇

Public Forum Categories and Boards => Glass Snuff Bottles => Topic started by: NE collector on February 03, 2017, 06:11:24 am



Title: Nine Cauldron Snuff Bottle
Post by: NE collector on February 03, 2017, 06:11:24 am
I am really out of my realm on glass bottles. I bought this one in 1975. It is 2 1/2 inches high. I was drawn to it because of the story associated with the nine cauldrons. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Best,

Toni-Lee


Title: Re: Nine Cauldron Snuff Bottle
Post by: Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司 on February 03, 2017, 10:06:29 am
Dear Toni,

     I assume that you know that the 'Nine Tripod Cauldrons' (Chinese, "Jiu Ding"), are a historical myth, to the effect that one of the earliest kings of China received bronze from all nine original territories of China, cast 9 tripod cauldrons, and that they symbolised the right of an emperor to the 'Mandate of Heaven' (the divine right of kings).
 
     And they remained the symbolic objects which conferred that divine right, even though they were already lost by the time of Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of a united China, ca. 221 BCE! Incidentally, he was the one whose burial in Xian has been visited by over 100 million people  since the site was opened in 1979 after being discovered in 1974 (in 2015, 5 million visited, but it has been decided to limit future visitors to 1 million a year, to preserve the site).

   Your bottle is 19th C. (ca.1820-1880), and a very nice example of Qing dynasty glass. There is gold in the ruby red glass 'mix'.

Best,
Shabbat Shalom,
Joey
   


Title: Re: Nine Cauldron Snuff Bottle
Post by: NE collector on February 03, 2017, 10:21:01 am
Hi Joey,

Thank you for the background on the Nine Cauldron myth. I always thought the story was great reading.  It is so interesting that you say there is gold in the mix. If you don't mind me asking, what aspect of the glass leads you to that conclusion?  Was it frequently added at that time? Once again, thank you for your observation and feed-back.

Toni-Lee


Title: Re: Nine Cauldron Snuff Bottle
Post by: Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司 on February 03, 2017, 10:34:43 am
Dear Toni,

      I was told that this was the case in 1970 by the late Annie Wolfson, a Toronto antique dealer who sold snuff bottles among a huge inventory of antiques from both East and West.

     I just copied this from Wikipedia: "Cranberry glass or 'Gold Ruby' glass is a red glass made by adding gold salts or colloidal gold to molten glass. "

    To get the rich ruby colour, one MUST add the gold. Different minerals etc., are added to get different colours.

Best,
Shabbat Shalom,
Joey


Title: Re: Nine Cauldron Snuff Bottle
Post by: albert on February 03, 2017, 12:04:21 pm
Hi,

I like a lot the carved glass snuff bottles, but how more items I see in the auctions and in the forum, I have more doubts about if one item is real or faux. I say this because I watching yhis kind of items in ebay and in auction house, and I seen the exactly same item in a realy different price!

And now when I see one item like it I think that is faux. Can you tell me any tip? I'm watching carefuly the items of my books, but... ???


Title: Re: Nine Cauldron Snuff Bottle
Post by: Steven on February 03, 2017, 12:54:35 pm
Thanks Toni-Lee for sharing!

That is a really nice bottle. the red color really stands out. The craving is well done as well.

-Albert,

You are right, there are quite a lot different grades glass bottles on the market. some are superb while some are tourist bottles. Some are 18th, while some are just out of factories. You might have to train your eyes by looking at good and old bottles. There is no one sentence tip to make magic to be an expert in one day.

There are a few of characters or factors you might need to pay attention on the details, like the size of the bottles, the shapes, the colors, how its craved, motifs, how its polished, how is the mouth rim and base rim executed. attached pls find a couple of modern examples of the same motif bottles as Toni's bottle, what can you tell the difference between the bottles? If you can find the difference, after training your eyes more, you should be able to find out gem out of all the bottles.


Best,

Steven



Title: Re: Nine Cauldron Snuff Bottle
Post by: Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司 on February 03, 2017, 05:41:28 pm
Dear Toni,

      One thing. I tried to enlarge your photos, and they are still barely larger than the thumbnails.
I'm the last person to give advice, since I still have not mastered the art of posting photos ( ::) ;)), but  could I ask you to enlarge them enough so we can see better?
However, they should not be so large that the image does not fit fully on the screen.
Thank you,
Shabbat Shalom,
Joey


Title: Re: Nine Cauldron Snuff Bottle
Post by: NE collector on February 03, 2017, 05:51:00 pm
Hi Joey,

I'll try to get the photos that I post a little larger. They was too large at first. I'll trying to get them posted at the proper size. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Best,

Toni-Lee


Title: Re: Nine Cauldron Snuff Bottle
Post by: albert on February 04, 2017, 03:05:43 pm
Thanks Toni-Lee for sharing!

That is a really nice bottle. the red color really stands out. The craving is well done as well.

-Albert,

You are right, there are quite a lot different grades glass bottles on the market. some are superb while some are tourist bottles. Some are 18th, while some are just out of factories. You might have to train your eyes by looking at good and old bottles. There is no one sentence tip to make magic to be an expert in one day.

There are a few of characters or factors you might need to pay attention on the details, like the size of the bottles, the shapes, the colors, how its craved, motifs, how its polished, how is the mouth rim and base rim executed. attached pls find a couple of modern examples of the same motif bottles as Toni's bottle, what can you tell the difference between the bottles? If you can find the difference, after training your eyes more, you should be able to find out gem out of all the bottles.


Best,

Steven



Hi Steven,

Thanks for your answer, but I don't know If the bottles which you posted are old or not, I think that they are modren, isn't it?