A CHALCEDOY ‘BAT, LINGZHI AND PINE’ SNUFF BOTTLE, QING DYNASTYSuzhou, School of Zhiting, the stone of superb honey-brown color with some darker inclusions, well-polished surfaceChina, Qing Dynasty, 18th / 19th CenturyThis is another masterly carving of the Zhiting School applied to certain standard pictorial elements. There are low relief groups of serrated-edge rocks, ledges with roughly vertically carved rockwork sides, and others with horizontally serrated rocky sides. The pine trees of this school are epitomised here with two trees, one on the frontside high up next to the bat, the other on the backside springing from rocks. Both are composed around darker markings in the material used as formalized pine-needle-clusters, and the balance between the darker foliage and the network of trunk and branches carved from the ground color as usual is characteristically inspired. Given the use of the natural markings in the stone as the foliage, it would be difficult to imagine a more satisfying composition of branches and trunk. The carving is completed with a flying bat and several minuscule lingzhi springing from the rockwork.The hollowing here is well done in that there is a perfectly controlled, evenly profiled, well finished inner oval to hold snuff. But it is not too thinly done, such as in bottles from a few other schools. The foot on this example is also typical. Along with thinly hollowed bottles, a protruding foot rim was very much the exception with the School of Zhiting. As a rule, they were simply flattened and oval in shape.Shape: Flattened oval shapeHollowing: as described aboveMouth, neck and lip: Cylindric neck, flat top, slanted lips and larger mouthBase: Flat ovalDesign, marks, school: Suzhou, School of ZhitingStopper: Old coral cabochon with stepped, gilt and incised bronze mounting and good, old spoonHeight of the bottle with stopper: 6.2 cm.Width of the mouth: 7 mm.Width of the neck: 14 mm.Weight: 44 gramsCondition: Excellent with very tiny nibbles to lip and footProvenance: From a Beverly Hills, California, private estateAuction result comparison: SNUFF BOTTLES FROM THE MARY & GEORGE BLOCH COLLECTION: PART VIII. Sotheby's, 26 MAY 2014, HONG KONG, lot 1094. (for a related suzhou bottle, of similar shape, base and foot, carved from similar chalcedony)清代玉髓巧雕福壽延年鼻烟壺蘇州,芝亭派,蜜棕色石,局部深色色沁,表面抛光良好中國,十八至十九世紀壺型:扁平椭圆形掏膛:良好壺口、頸與唇部: 直頸,平口,撇唇,寬口底足:平橢圓形造型、落款及流派: 蘇州,芝亭派壺蓋: 銅嵌珊瑚,老杓壺高(含壺蓋):6.2 厘米口徑:7 毫米壺頸寬:14 毫米重量:44 克品相:優秀,唇沿和足部有輕微磕碰來源:加利福尼亞比佛利山私人產業