Chinese Snuff Bottle Discussion Forum 中國鼻煙壺討論論壇

I would like to share a recent electronic snuff bottle catalog I received via email from an oriental art dealer in Paris France.  Laurence Souksi, the dealer, in recent years has created an annual electronic snuff bottle catalog to share a portion of the inventory that she has for sale.  I've always enjoyed her exceptional efforts in these annual snuff bottle catalog creations and this one is particularly unique!

Click on the link below and enjoy the trip.  Charll

Hi, Charll,

Thank you for taking the time to send this information, It is particularly useful to me as I am sat at home recuperating from an operation, so it will help to pass ;) the time. You never know I may even learn something!

Regards Jason

Thanks Charll!

Hi All

I also  got the  beautiful  electronic   catalog  from  Laurence  Souski :  "A  trip  across  China"

Wonderful !

Once  you  subscribe to    Souski's  email  list  you  can receive  updates  regularly  (at least  that's my  experience)

Cheers

Peter

Thanks Charll for posting this.
It is innovative and, indeed , very educational.

Inn Bok

Thank you Charll !

Some of the bottles he has listed for sale sure look familiar..

Love the post cards !

George,

“He” is a she!

Cheers,

Rube

The way she has presented her latest e-catalog is amusing and innovative. I sent her an email message to say how much I enjoyed browsing through it.

Tom

That's odd. I've not received a catalogue from Laurence Souksi...
Joey

Rube and Others who may have an interest.

For those that have not found the link to Laurence Souksi past electronic catalogs, here it is.

Link: http://www.tabatiereschinoises.com/catalogues/

Charll

Hi All

I had  a  very  happy  email  exchange  with  Laurence  Sowski  to  thank  her  for the  beautiful  "Trip across  China"

BTW :  I found a  photo  of  Laurence  on the  internet. I  don't recall  meeting  her  at the  2014  Convention but that's  not  surprising  because  I was  mostly  sitting  with the  Chinese  group

She  plans to  come to the  2020  ICSBS  Taipei  convention. I may  go to  Taipei  privately  during the  time  of the  2020  Convention - not  to actually  join the  convention  (because  I am no longer  a  ICSBS  member)  but  just to meet  any  Forum  friends  and/or  other  collector  friends  who may be there

Cheers

Peter

PS:  Is  anyone  planning  to  join the  Asian  SB  collectors'  meeting  in  Taichung  in early  June ? 
If  so, please  let's make contact  beforehand

Thanks Charll,

I had been on her Espace4 Gallery site many times, but somehow missed this one before.

Good Stuff!

Rube.

All, attached is a link to another electronic catalog from Laurence Souksi.  It shows a number of bottles in her dealer display from this years ICSBS convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  All bottles shown are for sale and a price list is at the end of the document/catalog.

Link: http://www.tabatiereschinoises.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Newsletter-Minneapolis-1.pdf

Enjoy, Charll 

Date: September 12, 2020.  What a year!!!!   :-\

Due to the wildfires that are going on all up and down the West Coast of the US the air is so thick with smoke you can almost chew it!  Cars parked for any length of time receive a whispy covering of white ash.  Particulate matter in the air is such that after being outside for a while your sinuses and throat feel like it has been abraded with sandpaper.

I and the family are doing just fine and are safe.  But due to the situation I am just hunkering down inside working on the hobby.  I doing some web searchiing I came across another downloadable snuff bottle collection catalog, “The Maxwell Collection” that was on exhibit by Robert Hall at the 2013 ICSBS Convention in New York.  See the attached link.

Link: http://www.snuffbottle.com/pdfs/The%20Maxwell%20Collection.pdf

Enjoy, Charll

Thank you for the link to the collection Charll, and glad to hear you and the family are doing ok. So many people suffering because of these fires. We are being hit with significant smoke from them starting yesterday.
 
I tore into my motorcycle for repairs a couple days ago, and have put finishing it off until the smoke clears.  I don't know what we would do if for not having a good filtered type air humidifier to keep the smell and taste of smoke clear from our apartment.

Also very much enjoyed your link to the Society for Asian Art, Lotus Leaves :)

Hi Charll

Thanks for the link.

I was given a printed copy by Susan Page a few years ago when she was still with Robert Hall.

Regards.


Richard

Charll,

Thanks for sharing this link. Not sure if you already have this one or not, but I stumbled on this PDF from a French auction house a few months ago for an auction 5 years ago. Some really amazing bottles inside including at least one from the Lilla Perry book (Lot 50 - one of the most incredible embellished bottles I've ever seen). And more amber bottles than I've ever seen in one place.

Man, I would have liked to have bid on a few things in this catalog.

Download it here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/khv88spdcglzkkq/fraysseCPJ_ASIE-DROUOT.pdf?dl=0

Brian

Dear Brian,

     I flew to Paris a day before the auction, saw the preview and hung out with Clare Chu, Curt & Karen Lam, Gayle Gray Laverlochere, and others.

I bought lot #49, a genuine late 18th / early 19th C. Hornbill bottle from the Edward Choate O'Dell collection, very cheaply.

I wanted lot 50, the Japanese Embellished Malachite, as well as the Black Nephrite with the brown and white Eagle, both from Mrs. Perry's book, and the IP Portrait.
The two ex-Perry bottles were so damaged I was convinced by Clare not even to bid. They went high, but would then need serious restoration.

The portrait was superb, but there was a serious problem.
If any object goes over 50,000 Euros hammer price, and has been purchased by a foreigner, it is AUTOMATICALLY confiscated by the French Police,
and held till an export licence is obtained. It is kept in a ziploc bag, NOT a padded box [for Police ease of identification!].
The permit costs  about 1,500 Euros, and takes up to 3 months.

BUT, the friend of a friend on the Forum bought a number of bottles in an earlier auction, and while waiting to get them cleared, someone dropped one,
and there went 75,000 Euros. And it took the buyer over a year to get the funds reimbursed.
If I bought a bottle for my personal collection, and it was smashed, I'd be gutted, even if I got the money back.

If I had known the rules, I'd have sent my friend Gayle 75K or 80K Euros, and would  have had her buy it.
She's a French national and resident, and would get the bottle into her hands as soon as the funds were paid to the auctioneer.
Then, she could give it to me and there would be no problem.

But i love my Hornbill, the trifecta of Endangered Species materials: Helmeted Hornbill bottle, Coral stopper, and Tortoiseshell collar and spoon.  ::) :o ;D :D
All are  over 200 years old, so I don't accept that they threaten any existing animals.
And I don't accept the rules of the Eco-Fascists at the UN, etc.

Best,
Joey

Joey,

Sounds like that was quite the experience. Funny that we are both so attracted to that bottle, but then again it is amazing, so who wouldn't be.  ;D What was the damage to it that needed to be repaired? I've actually wondered how often the glue for the embellished items fails and things start falling off.

I think you got a supreme example of a hornbill. My grandfather had two beaks and two helmet bottles, but none as nice as that one.

Best,
Brian

Thank you for posting the link Charll!

That's such a clever way to display and market the bottles. Today I learned there are bottles made from Yixing clay.. I have a few teapots from the same clay, but didn't realize there were snuff bottles available as well. :D 

Stay safe out west, the smoke is reaching us out on the east coast as well.

Best wishes,

Stacey

Dear Stacey,

    We call it 'Yixing' and I've seen the teapots called 'Zisha' [purple clay?].
In Hong Kong, the former British Governor's Mansion [I think] or at least a British Military structure from the 19th C.,
was converted to a Chinese Tea & Zisha Teaware Museum.
We visited it in 2014 at the ICSBS Hong Kong & Xian convention. I only went to the HK part and continued on to Taipei Taiwan-ROC, and then Singapore and Bangkok,
visiting FORUM friends and eating delicious Roast Duck, Roast Goose, and other delicious Chinese and Japanese foods [though no blood products, pork, shellfish, or molluscs, of course].
Best,
Joey

Dear Brian,

     I've loved the Black Jade with the eagle; the Embellished Malachite; the three Martin Schoen enamel bottles; the enamelled bottle on the frontispiece; the Ma Shaoxuan portrait; and the Ye Bengqi inside painted of the tropical birds and foliage, since I first received the book as a Bar Mitzva gift in Feb.1970!
I have the last one in my collection, and I had the three Martin Schoen enamels from 1988 to 1992.

I also ate  a wonderful whole Dover Sole twice, once with Curt & Karen Lam, and the next day with Prof. Yossi Garfinkel, the archaeologist whose digs I've been sponsoring for over 12 years. And wonderful Japanese Kaiseki dinners, with Yossi and then the next day with Clare.
And my first night, Clare and I joined the two sweet girls who work for the auctioneer, Amelie and Alice, and I also had a wonderful whole Dover Sole. We ate at the restaurant at Cafe de la Paix, near the Opera House.

I wanted a genuine Hornbill also from age 13, and at one time had a Hornbill Beak bottle and a Hornbill bottle, but both were modern and homemade.
John Ang, my fellow teenage collector, sent me a Hornbill skull in the mail. It cost him US$25 w/shipping.
I made both snuff bottles. I gave them away possibly 30 years ago.
Best,
Joey

Hello Joey,

Thank you Joey for the correct spelling, I realised my mistake in spelling and corrected it just before reading your reply. I'm dyslexic and sometimes will switch or add/subtract letters. Usually I catch it with a quick proofread, sometimes I don't.  ::) :)

You're right, Zisha is "purple sand" clay. I'm sure the museum is full of amazing tea related treasures! The Chinese teapots, caddies and chests are something to behold. Also, to hold for that matter..I'm finding the tactile quality of SBs akin to the tea ware..they feel and fit so nicely in the hand.

Even as a long time vegetarian I like reading of these food adventure you have on your journeys. :) You are quite the enthusiastic diner and your infectious enjoyment shines through in your writing. :)

Cheers,

Stacey

Hi Stacey & Joey

Actually, Zisha is the correct name for the the material. Yixing is the name of the place that produce most of these Zisha teapots and other products.

For your reference.

Regards.


Richard

Hello Richard,

I was so excited to have seen a Zisha SB in the catalogue Charll posted, that I got a bit discombobulated. ;D
Many thanks for your clarification.

Best wishes,

Stacey

Stacey,

If you ever visit Milwaukee, our airport has an area specifically designed for you.  ;D

Brian

Brian and Stacey,
I have never come across this word or its antonym before, so I looked it up. It appears to have been invented in Milwaukee...!
In case anyone's interested, here's how it came about....

Before you go scouring your lexicons, no, “recombobulation” is not in the dictionary. The word was invented by Barry Bateman, former airport director at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, and its definition is fairly intuitive, the opposite of discombobulation. Per Bateman’s suggestion, a sign for a “Recombobulation Area” was hung up after the security checkpoint in one of the terminals in 2008. The goal was to add a bit of humor to the stressful security process.

“He understood that traveling can be stressful and the signs are intended to put a smile on people’s faces,” Harold Mester, the airport’s public relations manager, told OnMilwaukee.

But for a made-up word, it serves a much-needed purpose. Every terminal in Mitchell International now includes a designated Recombobulation Area, complete with benches and chairs for passengers to put on their shoes, gather their belongings, and yes, recombobulate.

Despite the word not being among those recently added to the dictionary, the signs have been fully accepted by the TSA due to their overwhelmingly positive response. Even the grammar enthusiasts approve. In 2009, “recombobulation” was named the American Dialect Society’s most creative word of the year.

So far, no other airports have followed suit with their own recombobulation areas, but doing so would be in their best interest. As airports try to take full advantage of the digital age with robots that escort passengers to their gates and multi-billion dollar renovations, they may find that the simple things—a joke and a helpful gesture—carry the most meaning in their industry, as they do in life.

Tom

Tom,

Yes, first time I visited (well, rather left after visiting) Milwaukee, I saw this sign and knew Milwaukee was the right place to live. I love the sense of humor and laid back nature up here, the sign just cinched it.

Brian

Brian, that's bloody brilliant! Right up my alley!  ;D This gave me a good laugh, thanks for posting!  :D

Cheers!

Stacey

Thanks Tom for the etymology of recombobulation. That's quite a good word even if it's made up. :)

Cheers,

Stacey

Dear Stacey,

      Thank you.
   At the Tea Museum in the Mid-Peak level of Hong Kong's Victoria Island, one can also try different teas in a tea house, though it is a Chi-Com tea house [ie., changed from a private intimate structure into a more mass-pop. type experience. But still good.].

Actually, I'm also a bit Dyslexic, when nervous or under pressure. I try to proofread everything. But when calm, I can read and absorb 60+ pages an hour in English.
10 pages an hour in Hebrew [but Hebrew is much more concise]; and maybe half a page an hour in Arabic [If I'm lucky].

But I've more problems from my Dysnumeria [same but with numbers], and much more from my Dyspraxia [clumsiness, to be honest ;)].
And I've a minor case of Aspergers, so I tell the truth, even when I should keep my mouth shut. But so far, G-D's Protected me from my mistakes.

Once, I was late going to pick up my big brother at the airport, 40 min. northwest of Jerusalem. I was going 122 km/hr., when the legal limit was 90 km./hr.
G-D Helped me reduce to 108 km/hr., and I was caught at that speed. The cop yells at me,"You were going 108 km/hr!" I replied,
"Actually, I was going 122 km./hr., but had just slowed down to 108 km./hr."
The cop looked at me, and said, "In 28 years as a policeman, this is the first time ANY driver has corrected me like that! We will leave it at 108 km. on the ticket.
But if you'd had an accident, G-D Forbid, you'd never get to the airport, and you big brother would be at your funeral and Shiv'a!"
I've not speeded since.

Best,
Joey

So, Richard,

Should one catalogue such a snuff bottle as:  'Zisha snuff bottle made in Yixing' ?
Thank you for the information.
Best,
Joey

Hello Joey,

You're welcome. The Victoria Island tea house sounds quite lovely. I would imagine they have a marvelous collection of tea on hand to sample. I love that the tea pots from Yixing are unglazed and absorb the oils from the teas brewed in them. 

By your description you could be my brother from another mother (other than being able to read Hebrew or Arabic, that is).  ;D  I've always said if I had a middle name it would be 'klutz', numbers are my nemesis, and I'm honest to my own detriment. That said, my cruising speed is around 120kph...thankfully on the highway I travel most, the speed limit has been upped to just over 100kph so should I ever get caught, it won't be too horrible a fine.

Best wishes,

Stacey

Dear Stacey,

     It sounds like you also have Dyspraxia, Dysnumeria, and a case of Aspergers; just like me. When first I was diagnosed with Dyslexia, 54 years ago, it was the 'catch-all term' for the gamut of 'Dys-' syndromes.
But I was told that they usually come with a high IQ.

    Indeed, when my good friend, then the Protestant rector near my Irish estate, Nigel Waugh, wanted to go do the MENSA IQ test, I agreed to go with him.  A few weeks later, I received a letter asking for I£ 25.00 for registration and first year's membership in MENSA, or I£50.00, if I wanted a sterling silver MENSA pin [instead of the bog standard base metal one I would receive with my registration and first year's membership].
The letter started with, "We are pleased to welcome you into MENSA, after your IQ test revealed that you have an IQ of 158..."

Needless to say, I was too smart to join a group of [mainly, in the experience of my cousins and myself] over-qualified under-achievers.
Nigel, the rector, called and asked if I'd not passed either. He had got 146 and I think the minimum was 148.

I said that my cousins Dianne & Bernie Cooperman had joined in the early 1970s, when Bernie was doing his PHD in Jewish History, at Harvard.
They said that they went to their first few meetings with high hopes of meeting 'movers and shakers'.
Most of the people there were NOT actually very successful, except for the ones with 155 looking noticeably down on the ones  with less, and in turn being looked down upon by those with 165, etc., etc.
For most, their chief claim to fame WAS getting into Mensa....

I relayed this to Nigel, my friend. I reminded him that he had a wonderful marriage and 4 wonderful children who were all healthy, happy, and successful. That he was a canon in the Church of Ireland [equivalent to the Anglican Church in England or Canada, the Episcopal Church of Scotland,
etc.], and ran Bunclody Union, a combined area with 7 churches under his control and the local Protestant school, as well as the Diocesan Magazine, etc. 
 I also reminded him that after I'd wrecked a Centurion tank during tank driving lessons, I was sent to teach English, Geography, Bible and History to officers and noncoms in the Army High School. And my brother wrote me, "Thems that cans, does; thems that can'ts, teaches!"
I said, "Nigel, you can! What's your problem?"

Best,
Joey

Hi Joey

Yes, that should be it.

To be accurate, you may add that it is 'Zisha clay snuff bottle made in Yixing'.

Regards.


Richard

Thank you, Richard.
Best,
Joey

All,

Just back from the 2022 ICSBS Convention held in San Francisco last week.  One of the dealers, Mark Powley of Powley Oriental Arts in San Francisco,  provided me an electronic catalog of many of the bottles that he had on display in the Dealers Room at the convention.  See the attached link to view the bottles.

Link:  https://heyzine.com/flip-book/319e210ee0.html 

Charll

P.S.- not sure how long this catalog will remain accessible, but the link works presently. 

Dear Charll,

    What's an "election catalogue"?
Is it good till next Tuesday?
Some nice bottles, but without any provenance,
not to mention prices, hard to think seriously.
Best,
Joey

Joey, your looking at Mark's catalog with to much of a critical eye.  It's an exhibition catalog.  The Bonhams exhibition catalog of the Northern California Collectors was done in a similar manner without a collector's or a collection name, and little effort to providing provenance even though they had the information.  The Bonhams collectors catalog, though nice, was a little disappointing. 

Charll       

Charll,

    If the man is showing his sales collection, I expect more information.
Were the bottles NOT for sale?
Best,
joey

Hi Charll

Thanks for sharing.

Do you have the link for the Bonhams catalog?

Regards.


Richard

Richard,

No link to the Bonhams catalogs (there are two) as of yet, but I asked for them to be posted on the ICSBS member site as being done for the Journal.

Charll

Joey,

Yes Mark Powley's bottles are for sale and one can ask for a price list.  He was just finishing up this catalog project prior to and/or during the convention.  I got this copy post convention.  Think of it as a first draft, and I'm not sure if he plans to expand the present format.

My intention on the posting was just to show a few of the bottles that were in the dealer's room.

Charll

Thanks Charll!

Charll,

Thanks for the link (and it does still work).
I agree with Joey, some nice bottles, and I understand about prices maybe being on a separate sheet.
But if there are known provenances, that information should be provided. Not giving it is like omitting the bottle sizes.

Tom

OK, Charll.
It is just that I've gotten used to more information.
It is not as if I was going to buy from him.
I'm not sure I know the man, and I prefer to buy from those
I know and trust.
Best,
Joey

Joey, I had several interactions with Mark during the convention and found him to be both friendly and honest. I do agree that provenance should be listed....John

Dear John,

    Thank you for the information and recommendation.
And I assume that Charll also found Mark to be
someone he could deal with.
I respect both of you as people whom I can trust.
So I will try to meet Mark at some stage, and possibly
buy from him.
Probably at the Lisbon convention in 2023.

Thank you both.
Best,
Joey

Joey,

Here are two bottles I picked up from Mark Powley in the last two years at very reasonable prices.   

https://snuffbottle.smfforfree.com/index.php/topic,1861.msg59014.html#msg59014

https://snuffbottle.smfforfree.com/index.php/topic,1861.msg59837.html#msg59837

Charll

Dear Charll,

 I must admit to being impressed.
Thank you,
Joey

For those that do not have a copy of "Chinese Snuff Bottles from the collection of Lloyd Noakes" like myself, here is a link to the catalog that is on Susan Page's website.

Link: https://snuffbottlepages.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2018/11/ChineseSnuffBottlesfromtheCollectionofLloydNoakes_Printv2.pdf

Charll

Thanks Charll.   Nice to know there is an electronic version. 

All,

Here is one of the more recent electronic catalogs from Laurence Souksi, Espace 4 Gallery, in France.

Catalog Link: https://www.espace4.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/A-Newsletter-from-Paris-vdef.pdf

Charll

Dear Charll,

    Thank you for the link.
Oddly, I'm not on her email list.
I write Oddly, since I've purchased at least 5 or 6 snuff bottles from Laurence
since I first met her in 2006 at the Brussels Asian Art Fair, when Clare introduced
us [and I bought my first 2 from Laurence].
Best,
Joey

Joey,

She did not send this.  I pulled it off her website which I check periodically.

Charll

But wouldn't it be better for her business,
if she sent the link out to known customers at least?
It's like she doesn't want custom.
Best,
Joey

Joey,

I can answer that one: Yes.

Brian (Marketing Professor)  ;D

For whomever looks at the Lloyd Noakes catalogue [really, Charll. catalog ?! ::) :o],
I'm the owner of : 

#16, #17, #20, #24, #25, #26,  #30, #33, and  #84.

I purchased #33 during the 2017 London convention.
The rest were purchased on 24.March 2021.

Except #84, which was purchased separately, and was extremely dear.
I'd not buy it today, though it is a unique example and Zhu Zhanyuan's
unquestioned masterpiece.
Lloyd Noakes was a good friend as was his boyfriend.
And Lloyd left his friend very well provided for on his passing.
Sadly, at least one other collector did not do so after his death.
Best,
Joey

Succinct and to the point. ::) :o ;D
Joey

Joey,

I still remember fondly, after a performance of one of my musical compositions in grad school, a composition professor got up turned to me and said, "There's a lot to be said for brevity and wit."

Brian

Wonderful. ::) :o ;D
Joey

All,

Attached is the first Bonhams catalog of the Francine and Bernard Wald Collection.  PDF copy is attached.

The Francine and Bernard Wald Collection of Fine Snuff Bottles, Part I
New York I Monday, March 17, 2025 | Starts at approximately 1pm, Lots 175 - 269

Charll

Thanks for sharing!!! It have many beautiful bottles.

 ;)

Very nice group of bottles. I especially like the Ma Shaoxuan.

Some superb bottles.
I handled many of the earlier provenanced bottles [from before 2009].
I would visit Bernie & Frannie both OBM, every time I was in NYC,
and they'd take me out to dinner.
I first met them during the Intermediate Days of Passover 1980,
when the whole family visited Israel for David's Bar Mitzva.
A few years later I attended Kevin's Bar Mitzva in the Town & Village Synagogue
[Stuyvesant Town & Greenwich Village] near their home and we had our Bar Mitzva lunch
[not Kosher, of course] at 'Windows On The World' up in one of the towers in the World Trade Center.
About 50 feet from their apt. on La Guardia Place, was 'the Number One Son Noodle Shop',
where we each would get a whole Peking Duck!
5 minutes walk in the opposite direction and around the corner, Il Mulino [The Mill] a superb northern Italian restaurant
was located.
And there was a wonderful restaurant specialising in BBQ babyback ribs, Tennessee Mountain Ribs, on Spring Street, during the
period when I was eating pork, 'the good old days' [1963 to 1973 and 1979 to 1991]  ;-)
It was about 15 minutes walk away.
And we always spent at least an hour or 3 looking at bottles. The first 2 hours we looked at their new and old treasures.
The last hour was always devoted to me checking out their 'for sale' boxes. Bernie usually pulled out 50 or 60 'rejects' from
their collection, and I ALWAYS found a bottle or two or even three I could not live without. And they were ALWAYS reasonably
priced - I think that Bernie lowered prices for me.
But their 'rejects' were usually much better than most peoples' collections.
If you look through my 1987, 1994, 1998 and 2007 catalogues and check out the 'ex-Bernard & Francine Wald' bottles, you
will quickly see how good their 'rejects' were.
Best to all,
Joey

Joey, great story!

Thank you, John.
That Anhua decorated bottle with the special base you posted is wonderful.
Best,
Joey