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

I was watching this one,and placed a low bid on it, sadly didn't win it.

I like the dragon motif, quite real, but condition is not good, anyone know the possible date of it?

Steven

Steven,

I would need the bottle in hand to inspect both the exterior and interior in order to speculate on the age of this one.

Charll

Sorry Charll,

I Guess we don't have this chance, I was so cheap to not bid more.:)

Steven,
   It looks like an Imperial design of an archaistic dragon. It could be a repro, or could be original; like Charll, I'd need to hold it and examine it to know.
   If original, it could be anywhere between ca.1750 - ca. 1900, but probably earlier rather than later, though the design was usually pairs of flanking archaistic dragons.
   I had a number of  inkstone SBs and a white jade SB as well, and I still have an example in clear glass on multi-coloured glass, ex. Monimar collection (the late, beloved, Claudio Gentili, z"l), all attributed to the Imperial palace workshops, and 18th C. dating. Also, compare with the design on the elegant bottle in "Dragons", #2...
  Sorry I can't be more exact in the dating aspect.
Joey

Steven,

It has a charming robustness to it, and looks to be well used. Wood bottles, for whatever reason, are surprisingly uncommon when compared to bottles made of other materials. It could be due to the fact that wood is more susceptible to damage, or simply that it wasn't considered a valuable enough material to take special care of - I don't know.
The example in your photo, if I were to judge it purely from its overall shape and form, fits comfortably into the Daoguang period, but, as Joey says, it could be somewhat older.
Impossible to be more specific without handling it, so I guess now we'll never know!

Tom

Thanks all for your comments, its a very small bottle, only 4.5cm, I was told normally the smaller the bottle is the older( ofcoz that is not the always the case), but its a fine example of the wood bottle.

I am kind of regret that I should have gone a little more , the winning price is only $45.00.

Thanks again for all the inputs. Learning something new everyday.

Steven

Tom,
   Again, with more careful examination, you spotted detail I had overlooked. Yes, it does look very like bottles from Daoguang, but could be a little later, and, because there was not that much difference in that type of bottle shape between late Qianlong and Daoguang, a little earlier. Thus my first suggestion, 1750-1900, I would change to probably 1780 - 1860, with a possibility of being as late as 1900. If it is not a totally modern copy. It doesn't look like it, but could be.
  Steven, A pity you didn't get it, but you already know that, sorry.
Joey

Joey,

I concur (UK-speak for 'agree'!) with your dating assessment. The possibility of it being a modern copy is interesting, but to me seems unlikely. Adding artificial age patina is one thing, but adding areas of damage goes against the grain of any copier.

However, this does raise another issue about wood snuff bottles which has puzzled me for some time. I occasionally come across one that is very similar in shape and decorative detailing to bottles in other materials. For example, the one Stephen illustrated reminds me of similar looking examples in nephrite jade as well as duanstone. I myself have a wood bottle beautifuly carved with 16 children and 4 ladies in a garden, which is almost exactly like examples in moulded porcelain and ivory.

Perhaps the wood ones are just copies, but maybe it's the other way around. I am wondering if these wood bottles were not 'trial runs' by workshop apprentices, using a cheap and easily carved material to practice a design, before commiting to nephrite and other more valuable (or more difficult to carve) materials.

In the case of porcelain (itself an inexpensive material), the wood bottle may have been the original "positive" used to form the "negative" in segments, which were then used to create the moulded porcelain end product.

It would be great to know if anyone else has any views on this topic.

Tom  

Tom,
   I'm based in Jerusalem, Israel most of the year, but spend each summer in my late Georgian home in north County Wexford, Ireland.  This winter, for the first time in almost 6 years, I'll be spending a couple of months during the winter, in a rented beach house on Lanikai beach on windward Oahu, Hawaii.

   I don't know how much you know about forgers, but nothing that will sell a fake is "against the grain". Ask Steven re. the group of B&W porcelain SBs ostensibly fired and fused together in a kiln mishap. George posted it, and we figured out it must be a fake, made to fool a collector. 

  Yes, I compared it myself to white nephrite jade and inkstone (duanstone) examples, though they invariably had pairs of flanking archaistic dragons, whereas this example is asymmetrical in design. I agree that it looks 'right' insofar as one can judge from an internet image.

  Your thesis as to the wood examples being 'trial runs' before the object was produced in expensive materials, sounds interesting, although I wonder whether apprentices would be given work that could form the basis for objects to be made in "more valuable materials".

  Anyway, an interesting thesis. I don't know if I can concur before some serious contemplation is attempted; I'll have to sleep on it.  ;)

Best,
 Joey

Joey,

I don't disagree with your comments about forgers using every trick in the book to fool the punter. That always applies when the stakes are high. However, in the case of this wood bottle, its value, whether appearing perfect & new or patinated & old is not going to be significantly different. So I stick to my guns that adding intentional 'damage' to this particular wood bottle would make no sense, as it would hardly make any difference to the value.

Looking forward to your further thoughts on wood bottles being used for 'trial runs'.....after you've had time to sleep on it, of course.

Tom

Tom,

Very interesting insight, I have no experience on Wood and stone ware, but I don't think it could be the case that those wood bottle are trial runs by apprentices to practice the skills.

First of all, wood crafting and stone crafting are using totally different tools.
Second, the wood material can be expensive if you choose the very real wood, agilawood can be more expensive than gold.
Third, there are lot of cheap stone can  be used for apprentices to practice.

Just my 2 cents, can be totally wrong.:)

Steven

Thanks Steven,

What you say makes a lot of sense. Of course, the carving techniques and skills would be different for different materials. I needed to air my theory about trial runs, to see what you guys thought.

Tom

Tom,
   Are you saying that a totally, unabashedly modern wooden bottle would fetch as much as a genuine old, albeit slightly damaged 18th or 19th C. original? Sorry, I disagree. Most collectors would pay less than US$100 for a modern wooden snuff bottle; for a genuine 18th C. wooden example, in very good condition US$5-6 K; in damaged condition, maybe US$1-2K, possibly a bit more. That is 10 to 20 times the price! Sorry, I must stick to my guns, as well. But we won't fall out over it.  ;)

  And I agree with Steven - similar but different tools are used in each discipline; but, who says that you are not partially correct? Why could wood carvers not be commissioned to do examples in a cheaper wood, not in agilawood (whatever that is) or Zhitan or whatever, and that used as an example for hardstone carvers? There may well be some merit in that theory.

   Of course, we are thinking like cost-effective westerners; possibly in the Palace Workshops (and the design here, IS an Imperial design), there was no need to be cost-effective. Concepts of purity surrounding the Son of Heaven, may well have held much stronger sway (think of the efforts Ultra-Orthodox Jews go to, in their need to preserve food purity, or Kashrut, even though it is definitely NOT cost-effective). In other cultures, or even in other castes in the same culture, different priorities will have stronger or lesser influence.

  But, everyone, don't stop the theories coming in! They make us think harder, always a good thing. A great Rabbi I once studied with said that there are no stupid questions - just stupid answers, sometimes.

Shabbat Shalom,
 Joey

Joey,

I am relieved to know we can agree to disagree!

While still on the topic of wood bottles, I will post some pictures of a bottle in my collection (which I made passing reference to a few posts back) that is one of my favorites, but a total puzzle to me. I would really enjoy getting some opinions on it from other members. Unfortunately the image files are on the office computer, so I won't be able to do it until Monday now.

Have a good weekend.
Tom

Tom,
   Of course we can agree to disagree. And we all love seeing bottles we've not seen before, though it is harder to evaluate a bottle without seeing it 'live'.
Best, Shabbat Shalom, Joey

  Here is the wood snuff bottle I mentioned earlier, that appears to be almost identical to a series of molded porcelain bottles (showing 4 ladies and 16 children on a garden terrace).
  But it is a puzzle to me: why would anyone make such a finely carved copy in wood of a type that typically is made of porcelain or ivory?
  There is a well-known group of exquisitely carved ivory bottles that were long thought to be Imperial, and the 'originals' from which look-alikes were made in molded porcelain. It was only recently acknowledged that the ivory bottles came AFTER the porcelains, and were copied from them in Japan. Does my wood bottle fit into this category? From the lack of wear and patina I am guessing that it is a fairly modern bottle. Look forward to any thoughts you guys have.

Tom

I am just following along here, but can not help but comment to what a stunning bottle Tom !!

Thanks George,

  It is one of my personal favorites. I have been trying to find out if the 16 children with 4 ladies represents a story from one of the Chinese classics. Maybe Steven will know. :)  I have come across several molded porcelain bottles with the exact same scene, and am on the lookout for an ivory example, but haven't seen one so far.
  
Below are my research notes in connection with this bottle:-

Description: Boxwood snuff bottle of bulbous ovoid shape, finely carved with a continuous scene of sixteen children in the company of four ladies on a garden terrace; the slightly flared neck with a leiwan band, and a reeded edge to the raised foot. Wood stopper. Height (without stopper): 7.4 cm.

   Bottles made of wood tend to fall into two groups: those that are of a formal bottle shape, and ones which are sculpted into a three-dimensional figurative or plant form. Of the first group, with conventional body, neck and foot, these can be sub-divided into those that are completely plain, and ones with a lacquer finish onto which decoration is applied or etched.
   The example illustrated here fits into none of the above categories, being of a formalized shape with high relief decoration carved directly onto the wood. Such bottles are surprisingly uncommon [see note 1].  In fact the closest related bottles are a group of ornately molded porcelain ones of the Jiaqing period. These share a common form with high shoulders tapering to a small raised oval foot, and a flared neck on which is often found a key-fret or leiwan band [see note 2].  There is a group of ivory examples with apocryphal Qianlong imperial attribution, the designs closely matching these molded porcelains.  
   There are a few recorded examples of Jiajing-era moulded porcelain bottles bearing this identical subject-matter and configuration [see note 3], which lends support to the probability that both borrowed the design from a single earlier source [see note 4].  
   The origin of the subject-matter is unclear, but a similar scene with fifteen children and three ladies, on an imperial enamel-on-metal bottle in the Palace Museum Beijing, is described as depicting a ceremony of birthday celebrations [see note 5].  Compare also a stained ivory bottle of similar form, but a dissimilar scene of ladies enjoying the company of small children in a garden setting formerly in the Gerry Mack Collection [see note 6].

note 1:   see Robert Hall, Chinese Snuff Bottles No.III, commentary of no.86.

note 2:   see Bob Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, nos.271, 273, 275, 276; also nos.755, 767, 776 and 784; see also Robert Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Miniature Art from the Collection of Mary & George Bloch, commentary of no.160, and nos.161, 254 and 256.

note 3:    for an unglazed porcelain biscuit version see Sotheby's Billingshurst Sale Catalogue, June 25th 1991, lot no.224.

note 4:   further recorded examples of this design in famille rose enamels on high-relief moulded porcelain of the Jiaqing period can be found in Hugh Moss June 1970 Catalogue, no.317; -ibid-, Snuff bottles of China, no.291; -ibid-, Chinese Snuff Bottles No5, p.52 for comment on a rare pewter-glaze example, -ibid- No6, no.C.63; see also: Rachelle Holden, Rivers and Mountains Far from the World, no. 130; Harriet Hamilton, Oriental Snuff Bottles, p.120, P-16; Sotheby's The Hunter Collection, NY, September 15th, 1998, lot no. 158 (Qianlong mark and period); and Sotheby's London, 16th November, 1999, lot 244.  

note 5:   see Masterpieces of Snuff Bottles in the Palace Museum, p.60, no.26.

note 6:   see Sotheby's The Gerry P. Mack Collection, October 25th 1997, lot no. 239.

--------------
 
  If it didn't look so new, I would have thought it was perhaps a cast for the mold from which the porcelain bottles were produced. But if that were the case there would have been no need to hollow out the inside.

Tom

Great bottle Tom.  Amazing detail to go through for carving a wood bottle. Never seen one like it.  Very special!

Hi Tom,

A Great bottle indeed, the 4 ladies and 16 children subject are very popular throught Ming period to Qing period.

Actually in chinese, its called "四妃十六子" which means "4 wives and 16 kids" . as you might know, the wealthy man can have more than one wife during the past in china, and people always like to have huge family  with many kids around, "四妃十六子" is a wish to have a big family..

Attached is a same subject of later qing dish, same subject..

I don't know if there is any specific story behind this, but the subject is well known and popilar during the past.

Steven

Hi Steven,

Thank you for explaining the symbolism behind the scene of 4 ladies and 16 children. I will (at last!) be able to amend & expand my notes in connection with this bottle.

If this bottle is modern, as I suspect (I bought it in Hong Kong in 1997), I am surprised that I have not seen more examples on the market from this craftsman or workshop. Has anyone come across anything similar in wood? The exact same design  is on a porcelain bottle from the Harry Ross Collection illustrated in Hugh Moss's Chinese Snuff Bottles No.5, page 50:

Apologies for the poor quality in the scan.

Tom

Hi Tom,

Your bottle is the only wood carved bottle with this subject I have ever seen, unlike porcelain one which is fairly easy to be reproduced once mould was made. wood carved bottle specially with this kind of detail and quality  will have to be done by very experienced craftman, and it take very long to make one.

Steven

Hi Steven,

That was exactly my opinion, too. Surely a craftsman with this level of skill would have made others, in wood or even ivory. I have seen neither in the 15 years since I bought this bottle.

A mystery...

Tom

That is strange. It certainly is very good quality...
Joey

The material appears to be boxwood. It is a dense, close-grained wood, and I imagine much trickier to carve than ivory. My hunch (and it is only a hunch) is that it was done by an ivory carver, possibly as a 'master' or 'trial run' for an ivory bottle that was never executed. Or maybe one or two ivory ones were produced 'to order', and now sit in someone's collection. That would explain why they haven't surfaced on the open market.

I have to add something about the circumstances under which I purchased this bottle. It came from a Hong Kong shop that I had previously bought bottles from several times (one that John Ault also used). On this occasion I had picked a couple of jade bottles when I spotted it sitting on one of his back shelves, behind some glass bottles. It may have been my imagination, but he appeared a bit reluctant to show it to me. With a little persistence on my part he brought it to the counter. When I asked the price, he at first demurred, but eventually named a price. It was high, and I understood that he understood I would think it high, and so pass it by. But I just loved the workmanship - I had never seen anything like it - so accepted his price immediately, without any bargaining. After that he couldn't refuse it to me.

I have never for one moment regretted the cost. It is quite unique. When I showed it to Hugh Moss, even he showed vague signs of excitement.

Tom  

Tom.. Do you happen to know what kind of wood your 4 ladies and 16 children on a garden terrace bottle is carved from ?

George,

As mentioned in the above post, it is a dense and close-grained wood of light color, which I believe it to be boxwood. I have seen other Chinese carvings of similar looking wood which were described as boxwood. But I have not asked a wood expert to try and identify it.

Tom

Dear all,

Sorry I missed this discussion at the time.  Yes Steven I think you should have bid a bit more for that rare wooden snuff bottle.  I was sick when it sold so low, but I thought that the eBay buyers would recognize its importance.  The condition wasn't the greatest but I still believe that it was most likely made in the Imperial workshop as a model to be sent to the Suzhou Official workshop as a model approved by the Emperor.  I am posting additional images that should demonstrate why I feel that way.  I think that it was originally not hollowed or at least not well hollowed for use.  The plug in the base is just not up to the quality of the rest of the bottle.  I think that someone wanted to hollow it for use and then put a too big wooden plug that caused the bottle to split. 

Dear Tom,

Congratulations on a rare and beautiful wooden snuff bottle.  As you stated there are many porcelain SB's with this subject matter;  I have seen over a dozen different versions in as many different levels of quality.  Your wooden version is as good as the very best quality porcelain ones. Coincidentally I have a best quality porcelain example for sale on eBay at the moment:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Chinese-Famille-Rose-Carved-Reticulated-Porcelain-Snuff-Bottle-Qianlong-Mk-/291726969327?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Chinese-Famille-Rose-Carved-Reticulated-Porcelain-Snuff-Bottle-Qianlong-Mk-/291726969327?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT)

Of the various porcelain snuff bottles of this subject almost all were molded and then glazed with only a minimal of hand finishing like removing the mold lines.  This SB is a double-walled example that was then hand carved to make it fully reticulated with additional undercutting of the figures to make them more realistic.  I have found only one other example of this quality and it was described by Hugh Moss as being Qianlong Mark & Period.

Dear Tom,

Thanks for your comment on my wood bottle. Your polychrome porcelain version is one of the best of its kind I have seen. The reticulated work is an unusual feature, I believe. I wish you luck with its sale. I have been keeping a lookout for a good monochrome (glazed or biscuit finish) match to my wood bottle. A biscuit version was sold by Bonhams at Billingshurst in 1989, but that was before I got the wood one. The latest Sotheby's Barron sale in NY had a good one, on which I had placed an absentee bid., but reluctantly withdrew it after reaching my "spend limit" at the Bonhams auction two days earlier! It only fetched $1,700, so wish I had not pulled out. C'est la vie.

Tom L

Dear Tom,

That 'biscuit' is with me ;D
Lucky you pulled out.

Cheers,
YT

Dear YT,

What a small world we collectors live in!

When you get a chance I would love to see some photos of all 4 elevation views. I am curious to see how close a match to my wood bottle it really is.

Best,
Tom

Dear Tom,

Yes, we do love good bottles.

It will be a while before I physically get the bottles as they are with a friend now.
I will post when I get them.

Cheers,
YT

Dear YT,

No hurry.   ;)

Tom

Dear Tom B.,

http://www.ebay.com/itm/291729564499
Just saw this Yangzhou that you are selling and the comparison.
The actual bottle is less pale.  ;)

Good luck too!

Cheers,
YT

Dear Tom and YT,

I am finding it hard to comprehend the apparent difference in interest (i.e. price) between the two bottles mentioned above. Is there really that much more demand for YZ glass over Qianlong moulded porcelain?

Tom L.

Dear Tom,

My two cents worth of comparison.
1. Moulded porcelain-Simply too many in the market. From the good ones to the really out-of-shaped all claiming to be QianLong or JiaQing. During these two emperors' period, there are simply too many really nice snuff bottles like the enamel or the Jade ones.

2. YangZhou glass- quantity much lesser with almost minimum repeats. Right from Imperial 18th white on pink Silkworm bottles to late 19th very exquisite and delicate bottles. Amazing workmanship and motifs.

Cheers,
YT

Dear Tom,

I agree with YT, it seems to be a matter of supply and demand.  Early collectors completely ignored molded porcelain SB's since they were considered to be "mass produced" product.  It is true that many of the molds were used over a long period of time, copied again and again, and even faked in modern times, so that even the originals of the most prolific molds are a hard sell.  The rare molds where only a handful are known command higher prices, but still lag behind similar rarities in other materials or even plain porcelain bottles with Famille Rose decoration.  The following is one that I owned that remains a rare mold; I have found only a total of 5 examples including an almost identical one from the Bloch collection and a damaged monochrome red in the Liverpool museum.

A molded Porcelain Snuff Bottle 06.6 cm High Jiaqing period was sold for $11,875.00 in March 2012 by Christie's New York:

Thanks YT and Tom for sharing!!!

Both are super rare and wonderful examples.:)

Congratulation!!

-YT, is that bottle from Sothebys Hongkong last year? That is one of a kind bottle, ofcoz, very costly too.:)

Steven

Dear Steven,

Thank you. Sometimes it is difficult to determine cost when I only just started collecting. This is one of the nicest rare triple layer on caramel that I have ever seen.
My next closest comparison was this https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/19621/lot/90/

Cheers,
YT

Dear YT,

    Lot 90 from Bonham's IS one of the finest if not the finest of that small choice group. It's price reflected that.
A SUPERB example. Was that in Bonham's in Nov.2011, from a Bloch Sale?

Joey

Yes dear Joey

Dear YT and Tom B.,

Many thanks to you both for your comments, and for sharing those wonderful examples.
I am only just catching up on emails dated 13 April onwards, as I have been away and mainly offline for the last month.

Best,
Tom

Dear Tom,

I think I owe you some photos.  ;D

I was surprised that I missed out on the glaze at some parts of the bottle until I see it on my hand. The auction photos were not reflecting these. Look at the robes on the ladies.

Cheers,
YT

Cheers,
YT

One beautiful bottle YT !

What am I looking at where some of the areas on the motif appear more glass like ?

Dear George,

Let me enlarged.

The carving is in high relief too.

Cheers,
YT

Ah, ok... Thank you YT ..

Dear YT,

I was thinking of that biscuit bottle of yours just the other day! Many thanks for the photos. It is one of the closest matches to my wood bottle of the same design. Even so, I see there are some notable differences. It is clearly not an exact copy.....see here for comparison:
http://snuffbottle.smfforfree.com/index.php/topic,980.msg7571.html#msg7571 (http://snuffbottle.smfforfree.com/index.php/topic,980.msg7571.html#msg7571)

Anyway, a very attractive bottle - one of the best of this type I have seen. If you ever decide to part with it, let me know.....   ;)

All best,
Tom

Dear YT,

    Many of the finest of that type, have clear glaze on the garments of the bisque figures,
as exemplified by your example.
Best,
Joey

Dear Tom,

Thank you, I will take note of your request.


Dear Joey,

Thought I was getting a nice almond biscuit. Looking at the glaze all over will make it inedible now  ;D

Cheers,
YT

Dear YT,

Maybe it's a sugar glaze. Have you tried licking it?   :P

All Best,
Tom

hahahaha...
We will let you :P try that when you hop by Singapore.

Careful - it may be too tasty to give back...!

Tom

All,

Had some time today to resume my snuff bottle cataloging and documentation.   This bottle is a recent purchase from August 2019.

Carved Wood with Eight Horses Snuff Bottle:
An antique Chinese snuff bottle of medium density carved wood with the “8 imperial horses of Mu Wang” as the design.  A unique example not seen with other wood bottles.  Instead of being bored and hollowed this bottle was formed from by gluing of two halves of wood together (note side seams).  Each half was likely roughly formed to a basic bottle shape with a carved inset to form the bottle center or hollow.  By this manner the interior of the bottle could be well hollowed, finished smooth, and sealed by a wax or oil.  The roughly shaped halves were then glued together, and the artist proceeded to carve the outer wood block to its final shape with the horse carvings.  Nice patina to the carved wood.  The bottle is 2 ¾ inches (7.0 cm) tall by 2 ¼ inches (5.7 cm) wide without the stopper, and 3 inches tall including simulated ivory stopper. 

Period: Likely 1850-1930.

Provenance: Purported to be from the late Professor Peter Greiner estate collection.  Note: Dr. Peter M. Greiner (1940-2013) was a lifelong collector and student of Chinese art.

Follow-up Info: The Eight Horses of Wang Mu The eight horses of King Mu of the Zhou Dynasty was a popular theme for porcelain decorations from the Transitional into the Yongzheng period (1723-35). The story originates from a historical romance, the Mu tianzhi zhuan (An Account of Emperor Mu), which describes the journeys of the fifth emperor of the Zhou dynasty (1023-983 BC) during which he met Xi Wangmu - the Queen Mother of the West - at Yaozhi (the Jade Pond).

The story is about King (Wang) Mu, who dreamed of being an immortal God. He was determined to visit the heavenly paradise and taste the peaches of immortality. A brave charioteer named Zaofu used his chariot to carry the king to his destination.

During these travels the emperor's chariot was pulled by eight horses named after the color of their hair. Another account, the 4th  century book, the Shiyiji (Researches into Lost Records) has it that the horses' names reflected their unusual talents; Number 1 gallops without touching the ground; Number 2 runs faster than birds; Number 3 goes especially fast at night; Number 4 goes as fast as the shadow of the sun; Number 5 is especially well-groomed with a splendid mane; Number 6 runs so fast that one can see a row of ten images of him; Number 7 rides on a cloud; Number 8 has wings."

The Eight Horses of Mu Wang became a popular subject among later poets and artists and a symbol for the vehicle or journeys of any emperor [Source; https://gotheborg.com/]

Enjoy, Charll

Wonderful and unique bottle Charll.

The horses all seem to have been intentionally carved with smiles !

I did not know about the connection between the 8 Imperial horses of Wang Mu and a "historical romance, the Mu tianzhi zhuan (An Account of Emperor Mu), which describes the journeys of the fifth emperor of the Zhou dynasty (1023-983 BC) during which he met Xi Wangmu - the Queen Mother of the West - at Yaozhi (the Jade Pond)".

Thank you for sharing and as usual an excellent summary of the bottle and theme !

Dear George,

     Same Mu Wang [King/Emperor Mu], same 'Ba Ma' [8 Horses]...
 ::) ;D

Nicely carved, Charll.

Joey

Cool bottle, Charl!

Cheers,

Rube.

George, all my horses are happy!!!!  ;D  Honestly, it must have something to due with the Chinese's outlook for every horse motif bottle I have has smiling horses. 

Charll

Dear Charll,
really nice and interesting bottle. I never see a wood bottle made in two halves.
The eight horses of Mu Wang become one of my favorite motifs after finding my first Kangxi vase with that motif, many years ago.
I thought that the bottle was boxwood but it isn’t. Nice stopper too.
Congratulations,
Giovanni

Delightful bottle Charll.

The Eight Smiling Horses of Wang Mu !!!
Like Giovanni, I too have never come across a wood bottle made in two halves. I'll have to re-examine the ones in my collection, but I'm almost certain none are constructed in this way.

Your bottle could be made from a number of different woods. If it has not been stained to give it the present reddish tone, I'd say it is probably from the rosewood family - Dalbergia spp.   ( 黄檀属 ).

Tom

Dear Charll,
I have been wrong. Like Tom, I did examine my collection and remembered that one of my shagreen bottles has its wooden body made in two halves.
 In this case, it may have been a necessity because it is much easier to stretch the skin on an half bottle than on a completely round body.
In the picture below I have highlighted the coincident joining line of the two halves, both for the shagreen skin and for the body inside the neck.
By inspecting the inside of the bottle with a LED light, it is visible the glue line between the two halves.
Kind regards
Giovanni

Hi Charll,

Love the happy horses, gives them a sense of character.

Following Giovanni's post I had a look at my shagreen bottle but can't see evidence of a join in the wood.

Regards, Adrian.