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, 11:27:23 pm
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

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

Cicada snuff bottle.

Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: Cicada snuff bottle.  (Read 710 times)
0 Members and 6 Guests are viewing this topic.
forestman
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 826


« on: January 31, 2018, 10:04:58 am »

This just arrived from the auction packers as a means of satisfying my need for snuff bottles in what has been a very lean period with a few interesting bottles achieving high prices that I'm too mean to pay.

Porcelain is not an area I collect in so any help with this would be appreciated.

Came minus a stopper and is 8cms which could be life sized for an Empress Cicada. Shows signs of being handled and has snuff remains inside.


* P1310796.jpg (67.62 KB, 710x446 - viewed 60 times.)

* P1310797.jpg (85.23 KB, 710x587 - viewed 45 times.)

* P1310798.jpg (66.19 KB, 710x423 - viewed 51 times.)
Report Spam   Logged

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Rube
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Posts: 829


« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2018, 10:33:16 am »

Adrian,
I don’t know anything about porcelain either,
But I love the detail on the underside!
Cheers,
Rube
Report Spam   Logged

Rube, 4th Generation Collector

Tom B.
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 640



« Reply #2 on: January 31, 2018, 03:21:01 pm »

Dear Adrian,

I haven't seen another example exactly like yours, so I can't be sure about the date of your molded porcelain Cicada snuff bottle. In my opinion it would be a 19th century example.  Porcelain snuff bottles were not made in any quantity until the late Qianlong period and molded figure examples are all considered to be after 1790.   The following links show a few examples of porcelain cicada snuff bottles:

http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/an-enameled-molded-porcelain-cicada-form-snuff-bottle-5046812-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5046812&sid=83198e8f-1d6c-4971-bf5d-161dffa6f130


https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/53949703_1819th-c-chinese-qing-dynasty-porcelain-snuff-bottle


And the one from the Bloch collection has more realistic modeled underside:
A 'famille-rose' enamel on porcelain 'cicada' snuff bottle  Jingdezhen, 1790–1850  6.52 cm high.

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20309/lot/139/


Yours looks as though it was excavated after a long burial, I would wait for advice from Giovanni before cleaning.  I have seen him work magic on some awful looking ceramics, so he can probably help you to make this better looking too.

Best regards,

Tom B.
Report Spam   Logged

Best regards,

Tom B.

Fiveroosters aka clayandbrush
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 4049



« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2018, 04:20:16 pm »

Thank you dear Tom, but I believe that you are referring to the cleaning of the cracks, which is not the case here.
Dear Adrian, nice bottle, I concur with Tom’s dating. As you see the red color has been faded away on the raised parts, typical sign of long handling, being the red iron enamel more prone to wear then other more glassy enamels.
I would first try to just wash it with dish soap and a tooth bush. Most of the dirty should go away, let see what happens.
Do not be afraid of damaging it; in any case, do not use bleach.
Kind regards
Giovanni
Report Spam   Logged

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


« Reply #4 on: February 12, 2018, 08:01:38 am »

Dear Tom B and Giovanni,

Sorry for the delay in replying but I had hoped to have time to give this a clean soon after first posting it but have been busy.

Despite several hours of being left in hotter than warm soapy water it has not been easy to remove the dirt which must have been the result of it being buried as the interior was full of earth (and some snuff). I had to chip away very carefully at the dirt with the use of watch makers magnifying glasses. It still could come cleaner but I'm worried about damaging it as the dirt is very reluctant to come off.

Regards, Adrian.


* P2120808.jpg (79 KB, 710x455 - viewed 48 times.)
Report Spam   Logged

Tom B.
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 640



« Reply #5 on: February 12, 2018, 08:18:36 am »

Dear Adrian,

Yes it does look 100% better than before.  I think you could try an Ultrasonic Cleaner.  Giovanni will probably remember that some of the members of the Gotheborg forum used them to clean the encrusted surface of ancient bronze artifacts with amazing results.

Best regards,

Tom B.
Report Spam   Logged

Best regards,

Tom B.

Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 11283


« Reply #6 on: February 13, 2018, 01:55:59 pm »

Dear Tom B.,

      Where does one find an ultrasonic cleaner? Is it like the 'yoke' [anything one doesn't know the name of, is called a 'yoke' in rural Irish speech] used for cleaning diamonds?
Best,
Joey
Report Spam   Logged

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

Rube
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Posts: 829


« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2018, 02:22:37 pm »

Anybody ever use an ultrasonic toothbrush?
Cheers,
Rube
Report Spam   Logged

Rube, 4th Generation Collector

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


« Reply #8 on: February 14, 2018, 11:42:02 am »

Dear Joey,

There are plenty on ebay in various sizes and can be bought quite cheaply. They are good for cleaning watches and jewellery (or engine parts if you buy one big enough !).

Regards, Adrian.
Report Spam   Logged

Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 11283


« Reply #9 on: February 14, 2018, 12:32:28 pm »

Thanks, Adrian & Rube.
Best,
Joey
Report Spam   Logged

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

Fiveroosters aka clayandbrush
Private Boards
Hero Member
***
Gender: Male
Posts: 4049



« Reply #10 on: February 14, 2018, 01:54:23 pm »

Dear Adrian,
much better. Do not be afraid to damage the glaze, you can use a blade with no problem, glaze is hard like glass.
Kind regards
Giovanni
Report Spam   Logged

Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by EzPortal