About This Forum

This snuff bottle community forum is dedicated to the novice, more experienced, and expert collectors. Topics are intended to cover all aspects and types of bottle collecting. To include trials, tribulations, identifying, researching, and much more.

Among other things, donations help keep the forum free from Google type advertisements, and also make it possible to purchases additional photo hosting MB space.

Forum Bottle in the Spotlight

Charll shared this beautiful Xianfeng (1851-1861) dated bottle depicting NeZha combating the Dragon King amongst a rolling sea of blue and eight mythical sea creatures.


Chinese Snuff Bottle Discussion Forum 中國鼻煙壺討論論壇
March 28, 2024, 12:18:10 pm
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
 
  Home Help Search Contact Login Register  

Macaroni agate

Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: Macaroni agate  (Read 683 times)
0 Members and 10 Guests are viewing this topic.
forestman
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 826


« on: February 26, 2017, 09:32:39 am »

The first results of my new years resolution to buy better bottles. Not the best piece of macaroni agate but the best I have and they don't come up that often so it will do until I see a better one at an attractive price.

Macaroni agate of a circular, rounded form with a raised, bevelled base with mask and mock ring handles. Rectangular rounded coral inset in bronze stopper. Late 18th/19th Century ?

Regards, Adrian.


* P2260508.jpg (73.78 KB, 464x600 - viewed 52 times.)
« Last Edit: February 26, 2017, 12:05:24 pm by forestman » Report Spam   Logged

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 11282


« Reply #1 on: February 26, 2017, 10:16:29 am »

Dear Adrian,

      You post oblique shots which are not helpful (to me, at least) in giving an opinion.
Please shoot directly face on, onto the taotie, the base and add the mouth, again full on.
It does look like a nice bottle.
Best,
Joey
Report Spam   Logged

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

aidan31
Full Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 160


« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2017, 10:57:31 am »

Dear Adrian-

Thanks for posting the pictures of your macaroni bottle.  I enjoy the colors a lot but I have alway preferred bottles where the "tubes" of macaroni are open where they meet the surface and you can see that they are tubular shape.  This, of course, is a personal observation of what type of stone appeals to my taste.  As I said, I do like the colors a lot.  I think they are somewhat unusual.  Is the bottle well hollowed?

Best wishes,
Rick
Report Spam   Logged

aidan31
Full Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 160


« Reply #3 on: February 26, 2017, 11:03:15 am »

Dear Adrian-

When I looked at the photos of your bottle on my Thunderbolt monitor I can see yours does have the open tubes.  Congrats!

Rick
Report Spam   Logged

forestman
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 826


« Reply #4 on: February 26, 2017, 11:48:54 am »

Dear Rick,

Thanks for your comments although I'm flattering my bottle by showing it's best side, the open tubes aren't so noticeable on the other side. It's well hollowed without being over hollowed, I don't know if hollowing more would lose some of the feel of it as a material.

Regards, Adrian.
Report Spam   Logged

forestman
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 826


« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2017, 12:04:31 pm »

Dear Joey,

As requested.

Regards, Adrian.


* P2260512.jpg (67.63 KB, 441x600 - viewed 37 times.)

* P2260513.jpg (92.07 KB, 800x515 - viewed 30 times.)

* P2260514.jpg (88.68 KB, 800x534 - viewed 27 times.)
Report Spam   Logged

aidan31
Full Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 160


« Reply #6 on: February 26, 2017, 12:54:13 pm »

dear Adrian-

You hit the nail on the head when it comes to hollowing.  Too much would fade the colors and make the macaroni tubes less contrasting.  I have had a few examples of macaroni agate and the one that was very thinly hollowed lacked good contrast in to colors.  You want good hollowing in order to hold a good quantity of snuff but not so well hollowed that you loose the reason for using that stone.  Part of the charm of stone bottles is unusual patterns and colors of a particular stone plus the skill of the carver in bringing out the beauty of the stone.

Best wishes, Rick
Report Spam   Logged

Rube
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Posts: 829


« Reply #7 on: February 26, 2017, 02:22:14 pm »

Dear Aidan,
That's a beautiful bottle! I am fond of those made of stone. Rick, I'm new to this forum and am curious to know how one determines if a bottle is "well hollowed"? Is it a function of weight or must one inspect the inside in trying to make this determination?

Cheers,


Rheuben
Report Spam   Logged

Rube, 4th Generation Collector

NE collector
Full Member
***
Gender: Female
Posts: 132

Woman of the West, with Eyes on the East


« Reply #8 on: February 26, 2017, 02:47:59 pm »

Hi Adrian,

I really like your macaroni agate bottle. The colors are so pleasing. Good for you! Nice bottle, good find.

Best,

Toni-Lee
Report Spam   Logged

Toni-Lee

Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 11282


« Reply #9 on: February 26, 2017, 03:33:13 pm »

Dear Adrian,
 
    AH! Now I can comment! Grin 
In my opinion, this is a very nice example ca. 1820-1860, and the taotie are very well done and pleasing.
Beautiful bottle! And I agree with Rick about the pleasing colours and the 'open' tubes.
Well done.
Best,
Joey
Report Spam   Logged

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

forestman
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 826


« Reply #10 on: February 26, 2017, 04:16:26 pm »

Thank you all for your comments.

Macaroni agate has been on my wish list since I got Bob Stevens book and first saw one. The taotie don't photograph well and look better in real life but since Tom posted his fossiliferous limestone bottle with it's beautiful handles mine feel somewhat second rate.

Rheuben,

Well hollowed is not just about removing material from inside the bottle, attention to detail in leaving a smooth surface is important as well. It's very hard to do without damaging the opening in the bottle, I know I've tried.

Regards, Adrian.
Report Spam   Logged

Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 11282


« Reply #11 on: February 26, 2017, 04:25:44 pm »

Dear Adrian,

    For an agate, your taotie are very acceptable. I would certainly rate them as fine.
You can't compare the carving in different materials. The best carving is in ivory, and next to the taotie on a carved ivory SB, Tom's bottle's taotie would not compare.
It's all relative, as Einstein would say...  Grin Roll Eyes
Best,
Joey
Report Spam   Logged

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

Wattana
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 6133



« Reply #12 on: February 27, 2017, 11:23:21 pm »

Hi Adrian,

While not the most typical colouring for a macaroni agate snuff bottle, I do like the darker tones on yours. I also like the way the 'macaroni tubes' are grouped in trails, offering a number of interesting landscape interpretations in my mind's eye. Congratulations!

As for the taotie mask handles and dating, I agree with Joey's comments.

Tom
Report Spam   Logged

Collecting since 1971

Luke
Private Boards
Sr. Member
***
Posts: 309


« Reply #13 on: February 28, 2017, 03:11:30 am »

Nice bottle. Like it a lot! Saw this auction in the UK come up and there were a few other what seemed like older bottles in there too. Congrats!
« Last Edit: February 28, 2017, 03:14:21 am by pookles » Report Spam   Logged

Collecting snuff bottles since 2016

forestman
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 826


« Reply #14 on: February 28, 2017, 08:04:10 am »

Hi Luke,

It first came up before Christmas with a group of good quality bottles from a local deceased estate, (it's quite a wealthy area) at a higher estimate and on the day I left to go on holiday so I held back then. A few bottles were passed and re-auctioned with lower estimates which was lucky for me as this was one I had my eye on.

I also bought 2 moss agates from the same estate at the same time. I'll post one as I don't think it really qualifies as moss agate and is an unusual shape. The other moss agate was unloved by everyone but me and came at a price where it would have been rude not too.

Regards, Adrian.
Report Spam   Logged

Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by EzPortal