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Chinese Snuff Bottle Discussion Forum 中國鼻煙壺討論論壇
March 19, 2024, 04:13:08 am
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Coral Bottle

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cshapiro
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« on: July 07, 2016, 08:27:45 pm »

This lovely coral bottle unfortunately has a few dings in it.
Am wondering how much that hurts the value



* coralbottle.jpg (291.31 KB, 1000x1129 - viewed 62 times.)
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Cathy

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cshapiro
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« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2016, 08:42:18 pm »

Oh, and I meant to ask about coral. It seems like the coral bottles in the really good collections are all very carefully carved and shaped into bottle shapes. There seems to be a lot of dyed red coral left in it's natural state (meaning looking like a coral branch) and I'm wondering if that is all newer carvings or if there were older ones done that way.

thanks!
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Cathy
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« Reply #2 on: July 07, 2016, 09:40:10 pm »

Your bottle has a lovely and even hue. Because there are small natural chips and fissures in natural coral, it is quite normal to fill them with colour matched wax. So those small flaws do not in themselves affect the value too much.

But the bottle is quite modern, by which I mean it was probably made sometime within the last 20-25 years (i.e. post-1990).

The natural branch forms you mention are mostly modern, although there are a few older ones around.
« Last Edit: July 07, 2016, 09:42:07 pm by Wattana » Report Spam   Logged

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Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司
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« Reply #3 on: July 07, 2016, 10:22:25 pm »

Dear Tom,
   
 Look at how shiny it is. I thought it might be glass in imitation of coral.
And in that case could be quite a bit older.
Your thoughts?
Best,
Joey
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Joey Silver (Si Zhouyi 義周司), collecting snuff bottles since Feb.1970

cshapiro
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« Reply #4 on: July 07, 2016, 10:29:52 pm »

I think you are right - the chips in it very much look like chips in glass. I don't have any real coral to compare it to. So perhaps I have two imitation glass bottles - the pebble and the coral.
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Cathy
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« Reply #5 on: July 08, 2016, 12:10:38 am »


Cathy,

I too suspect this bottle is glass imitating coral.  Here is a link to another example:

http://www.trocadero.com/stores/2ezr/items/698571/item698571.html

Charll
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Charll K Stoneman, Eureka, California USA, Collector Since 1979.

Wattana
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« Reply #6 on: July 08, 2016, 12:19:25 am »

Good comparison Charll. The dinks on Cathy's bottle make sense now as characteristic pitting (burst bubbles) in glass. But I'd question the 1940 dating on the Trocadero example.

Dear Joey,

Yes, the vitreous shine should have given me the hint it was glass, and not coral. As for dating, I do not think it is an old bottle, because of the foot rim. It is an almost perfect geometric ellipse. You don't generally find that egg-shaped profile on older bottles, the bases of which tend to be more elongated.

Tom
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cshapiro
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« Reply #7 on: July 08, 2016, 12:35:19 am »

Very good example! You guys are such great sleuths! But to be catty - the color of mine is much nicer!  Roll Eyes
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Cathy
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« Reply #8 on: July 08, 2016, 06:05:10 am »

Dear Tom,

     The shape of the base tends to depend on the shape of the bottle. I would tend to date this bottle to mid-late 19th C., and possibly earlier. You could be correct re.it's being modern, though. I just don't agree, till I hold it.  Grin
Best,
Shabbat Shalom,
Joey


Good comparison Charll. The dinks on Cathy's bottle make sense now as characteristic pitting (burst bubbles) in glass. But I'd question the 1940 dating on the Trocadero example.

Dear Joey,

Yes, the vitreous shine should have given me the hint it was glass, and not coral. As for dating, I do not think it is an old bottle, because of the foot rim. It is an almost perfect geometric ellipse. You don't generally find that egg-shaped profile on older bottles, the bases of which tend to be more elongated.

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

Wattana
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« Reply #9 on: July 08, 2016, 06:19:33 am »


     The shape of the base tends to depend on the shape of the bottle.


Dear Joey,

You are quite correct, of course. But in my experience, even when the bottle is quite bulbous in shape, the profile of the foot rim tends to look more like a "square egg", as opposed to a true ellipse. That is not to say there are no exceptions. It's just that the vast majority of these geometrically perfect ellipses are to be found on modern machine finished bottles.

But, like you, I cannot say for sure without holding it.   Smiley

Best,
Tom
« Last Edit: July 08, 2016, 06:21:05 am by Wattana » Report Spam   Logged

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Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司
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« Reply #10 on: July 08, 2016, 09:51:12 am »

Dear Tom,

    You have one up on me - I don't know what an ellipse is. Roll Eyes
I will Google it. What did we do without Google?
Joey
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Joey Silver (Si Zhouyi 義周司), collecting snuff bottles since Feb.1970

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