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March 28, 2024, 01:13:46 pm
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Antique cinnabar lacquer bottle on ebay

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Author Topic: Antique cinnabar lacquer bottle on ebay  (Read 454 times)
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Luke
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« on: August 20, 2015, 08:34:07 am »

Hi,

Just a disclaimer first. I'm a newbie to the world of snuff bottles.

I like these cinnabar bottles. Have you guys seen this bottle on ebay? What are your opinions?

It appears to be the most watched bottle on ebay right now and I assume it will go for at least $500+. It looks like genuine cinnabar to me, but I think perhaps it is a fairly new bottle? Looks so shiny and new to other ones I have seen. Not much visible dirt or wear and tear, but I like the carving. Just wondering what others thought?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/361361514672?_trksid=p2055359.m1431.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT






I actually preferred the look of this other cinnabar bottle on ebay and was surprised it went for relatively cheap, but then I am no connoisseur:



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/19th-CENTURY-CHINESE-CINNABAR-LAQUER-SNUFF-BOTTLE-CHRYSANTHEMUM-CARVING-/131574265521?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEDWX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=fhrVtexKoaB2pFsx5m%252Bv4JU6WHc%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc


BTW I am not planning to buy as I think this will fetch a fairly high price and being a newbie to snuff bottles I am going to bide my time and gain some more knowledge before I go spending larger amounts of money.
« Last Edit: August 20, 2015, 08:40:02 am by pookles » Report Spam   Logged

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George
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« Reply #1 on: August 20, 2015, 07:01:10 pm »

Very nice lacquer example...

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Luke
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« Reply #2 on: August 21, 2015, 05:37:14 am »

Ah, so you think the first one is real cinnabar laquer? Reading up on previous threads I was sure these were both fakes. I read somewhere that cinnabar is no longer used to make snuff bottles as the material is hazardous. The first example here sold for around $450...
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« Reply #3 on: August 21, 2015, 08:06:28 am »

I am no expert with the cinnabar bottles, but do not see any signs of it being resin .
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Wattana
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« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2015, 12:09:11 am »

Hi Pookles,

Biding your time is a wise decision. Most of us have made some expensive mistakes when we started collecting. But then we didn't have the benefit of so many books for reference as are available nowadays. And there was no FORUM (thanks George!). Browse through the past threads and you will pick up a lot of knowledge.

The two bottles you posts look well made, with plenty of deep carving, and have nicely balanced compositions. A few things to be wary of:

1. It is extremely hard to identify genuine cinnabar lacquer from a few photos (especially when those pics are from the seller, who has a vested interest in making a sale!). So, unless you can actually see the layers where the material is deeply carved back, it is impossible to tell. The only sure way is to have the bottle in your hand, and examine it with a magnifying glass.
2. Most modern bottles are made of molded resin (which will have minute air bubbles), but some are now appearing on the market made of material with characteristics very similar to natural cinnabar lacquer, but cast as a solid piece rather than multi-layered, and then enhanced with hand carved details.
3. Over 95% of the bottles you see on ebay were made in the last 20 years, so the chances of getting a genuine 19th century bottle are very slim indeed.
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Fiveroosters aka clayandbrush
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« Reply #5 on: August 22, 2015, 12:43:16 am »

Hello,
to me the second bottle is clearly resin. It is evident by the surface appearance/structure and the edges nof the "cuts" which indeed are not. Regarding the first bottle, difficult to tell by that picture, but to me the chances that it is genuine are very slim.
Kind regards
Giovanni
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