Anything anyone can tell me about my first snuff bottle?

[ahhdrrt]

I recently purchased my first snuff bottle at an estate sale (hopefully more to come) and I am dying to know everything I can about it. Particularly what it says on the back of it (and the small notation on the front). In addition, as a new collector, I have probably many questions that you have heard before, so if you can point me in the right direction for answers on the site, that would be fantastic!

The questions that come to mind first are:
1. How do you determine the age of a piece?
2. How do you know for sure if a piece is elephant ivory without using the "hot pin" test? I just can't bring myself to do it. There must be a better way. I have read about the way the grain runs in true ivory and I think my piece is elephant ivory and not a composite, plastic, or other ivory-like material.
3. Is there a primer to determining the artist of a piece?

Any assistance anyone can provide would be MUCH appreciated. Thank you.
I've attached a couple of pictures of my item for your review.

[George]

No need to use the hot pin test on this one.. It is not resin for sure..

I will let others give an opinion on the material as it looks more like ox bone to me rather than ivory..

The script is archaic..

Maybe our resident expert archaic translator, Steven will be able to help you with this one.

Congrats on your first purchase !!

It is a beautiful bottle !

[Steven]

Hi Tim,

Welcome to the forum!

Nice bottle, good calligraphy and craving..

the calligraphy is a poem "清平调词" from the greatest poet "li bai" in Tang period.

the revised side is a lady who is writing a poem on a maple leave, the inscription can be read" writing a poem on a maple leave" which have a great story about it.

A gentleman found the leave written with the poem and he found his lover because of the leave....anyway, that is a long story...

I would vote it is made by ivory since I saw cross texture on the top rim, but I am also a newbie, might totally wrong with the texture. will let others to date it.

Steven

[ahhdrrt]

Thank you both Steven and Bottle Guy! You have provided more information about my bottle in 30 minutes than I have found in the past 3 days of searching online. This is brilliant!

[George]

I would vote it is made by ivory since I saw cross texture on the top rim, but I am also a newbie, might totally wrong with the texture. will let others to date it.

Steven

That is what I was looking at that leads me towards being ivory too..

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

I agree with Charll & Steven; when I saw the crosshatching on the mouth, I knew it was elephant ivory.  I understand that these are either Chinese (Hong Kong or Mainland PRC) or Japanese (probably Kyoto), and basically 1950s to 1970s.
 I bought one in 1972, which might have been totally new when I bought it.
Welcome to the Forum!
Joey

[David]

Hi Joey,

If you click into the 2nd photo, at the bottom area. There is a white wavy line. What is that?

Is that the milky wavy area towards outside of the tusk?

I just read an article on

http://www.ivoryheaven.com/id1.html

And would like to know if that is what it talking about.

Thank you,
David