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March 28, 2024, 04:06:41 pm
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Christie's Auction - Snuff Bottle Collecting Guide

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Tom B.
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« on: February 24, 2016, 04:10:14 pm »

Collecting Guide: 6 things to know about Chinese snuff bottles

http://www.christies.com/features/Chinese-Snuff-Bottles-Collecting-Guide-7060-1.aspx

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Tom B.

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YT
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« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2016, 07:14:14 pm »

Dear Tom,

On the last point, "6. Never stop learning"

Christies didn't advice to join our forum  Grin

Cheers,
YT
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Wattana
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« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2016, 08:06:22 pm »


On the last point, "6. Never stop learning"

Christies didn't advice to join our forum  Grin


Good point!
Obviously Ms. Gristina isn't aware of the forum........yet.
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AntPeople
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« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2016, 08:20:19 pm »

I am not sure if point number 5..... Consider buying in groups is good for the collector or the auction houses.... Grin

Pin
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五花馬,千金裘。呼兒將出換美酒,與爾同銷萬古愁。

http://www.chinese-snuff-bottle.com

Wattana
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« Reply #4 on: February 24, 2016, 08:38:01 pm »

I am not sure if point number 5..... Consider buying in groups is good for the collector or the auction houses.... Grin


Hi Pin,

The message 'between the lines' is that it's too much bother for the auction houses to sell bottles individually if they are under USD2,000 in value. Grouping bottles together also allows them to off-load some of the less desirable items, but of course they are not going to say that.   
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Pat - 查尚杰
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Zha Shang Jie 查尚杰


« Reply #5 on: February 24, 2016, 08:58:22 pm »

Haha  Grin so true ......
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Pat
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Tom B.
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« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2016, 07:20:26 pm »

I think it also means that they have learned that grossly undervaluing a group will still give them a formidable result:

Christie's London South Kensington
SALE 8833  LOT 1257
EIGHT CERAMIC SNUFF BOTTLES 18TH/19TH CENTURY

Estimate
£3,000 - £5,000  ($4,557 - $7,595)


Price Realized 
£109,875 ($167,340)



SALE 8833 —
CHINESE CERAMICS, WORKS OF ART AND TEXTILES
17 May 2013
London, South Kensington


The group comprises two conjoined double gourd bottles decorated with scrolling leaves and fruit reserved on a white and a yellow ground, each with apocryphal Qianlong mark to the bases. A rounded bottle enamelled with the Eight Horses of Mu Wang, with apocryphal mark to the base. A bottle imitating cinnabar lacquer and enamelled with Shoulao and a deer. A pale yellow bottle carved with a landscape scene, with four-character Wang Binrong mark to the base; and a further four bottles.
The tallest 3 in. (7.5 cm.) high, stoppers (Cool

Provenance
Property From The Y.C.Chen Collection.

http://www.christies.com//lotfinder/lot/eight-ceramic-snuff-bottles-18th19th-century-5679054-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5679054&sid=80bdafc5-3d14-475a-acc4-790240b9d46d

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Tom B.
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« Reply #7 on: February 27, 2016, 07:39:57 pm »

I believe that they were probably as follows:

1. In my opinion an Imperial Qianlong Mark & Period
2. Mark not explained but 1820-1860 possibly M&P Daoguang or Xianfeng
3. Looks likely Daoguang
4. Signed and by Wang Bingrong
5. Nice small circa 5.1 cm high peach shaped circa 1780-1850
6. Porcelain imitating carved cinnabar lacquer circa 1780-1820
7. Daoguang possibly with period mark, too much trouble to properly catalog Wink
8. Nice quality mid 19th century snuff bottle

The number 6 is my personal favorite of the group, but they went out of my financial reach at that time. 
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Tom B.

Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司
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« Reply #8 on: February 28, 2016, 05:37:07 am »

Dear All,

      Never mind that 'Ms. Gristina' has not yet heard of the Forum; I'VE never heard of Ms. Gristina!
And the silly mistakes and/or falsehoods were quite irritating:
For example, Snuff Bottles were NOT 'invented' in the early 18th C. There were small bottles of a limited number of assorted materials in use for medicines going back to at least Ming, but probably much much earlier,  possibly even going back to Han. I have seen Han period glass bottles the size of snuff bottles in a few collections of Chinese antiquities, but without stoppers, corks and spoons. Of course these could have been lost over the millenia, but these bottles might have had a different type of stopper, possibly of organic material, such as wood or just cork.

    And her using the bottles from the upcoming Barron sale should have had Christie's putting a disclaimer: Buying Guide to our upcoming sale!
   And illustrating a Palace Workshops bottle estimated at US$2,000-3,000 as a bottle a collector could actually acquire for that price, was plain lying. At the least, it would cost closer to US$4,000 than 3,000
even if the hammer price is 3,000, which I seriously doubt.

   The 6 rules are all correct, as far as they go, of course.
Best,
Joey
« Last Edit: February 29, 2016, 05:24:54 am by Joey » Report Spam   Logged

Joey Silver (Si Zhouyi 義周司), collecting snuff bottles since Feb.1970

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« Reply #9 on: February 28, 2016, 06:07:04 am »


      Never mind that 'Ms. Gristina' has not yet heard of the Forum; I'VE never heard of Ms. Gristina!


Dear Joey,

Perhaps you know her as Margi.  Grin
She appears in photos from last year's Convention, and possibly also the year before (I'd have to check the Journal to be certain).

But your comments are very valid!

Best,
Tom
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« Reply #10 on: February 28, 2016, 07:33:01 am »

Dear Tom,

Margi was in the Hong Kong convention too, Pola introduced her to me then.
She has helped me gotten a few old catalogs and books to improve my mini library. Much easier to get your hands on old snuff bottle books in the U.S.

Cheers,
YT
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Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司
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« Reply #11 on: February 29, 2016, 05:38:26 am »

   She might have been there, but I can't recall her. And there were a number of seriously silly mistakes in her description of the beginning of snuff bottle collecting, etc.

    I'm glad if she was helpful to YT in getting literature, but one would think that a person writing so authoritatively, and representing a serious player such as Christie's, would get the material cross-checked  in order to get simple facts right.

Best,
Joey
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Joey Silver (Si Zhouyi 義周司), collecting snuff bottles since Feb.1970

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