Message #24778

[Fiveroosters aka clayandbrush]

Dear Charll,
I re-read what I have written and frankly I don't think that what I said can be understood as a dating to late 19th century for your bottle. I said two things: that the bottle is not 18th century, and that I can't say to which period of the 19th century it should be dated, because the decoration has some strange features. Sorry if I have been misunderstood.
I can only repeat, to be clear, what I found strange.
I have never seen such hands. Are them really wearing glooves?
You may be right about the plants being young pines and not grass. But in such case too I have never seen them, I mean pines so low, without branch.
The faces are not 18th century nor are them typical faces of the 19th century.
Just my observation, of course I have not seen everything in Chinese porcelain field and much less in snuff bottles field.
I would also add that the whole decoration is strange, because all the figures has the same appearance. Repetitive poses and way to draw them, same clothes, same shoes... it looks like a ritual scene.
If I should really be forced to give my idea about dating, I think that Joey is correct. Although the faces of the Tongzhi era are very typical and I don't see them on your bottle, I also think that the whole appearance of your bottle doesn't look younger than that. But it is just my feeling, because as said I don't see a clear indication to a particular era.
Anyway, a beautiful and, more important I think, an interesting bottle. The scene suggest me the olive harvest, but I don't think that it exists in Chinese iconography. Or not?
Kind regards
Giovanni