A Chinese White Jade Snuff Bottle, 19th Century

19th Century

The stone of an even white tone, the flattened bottle resting on a recessed foot, carved and incised on both sides in low relief one showing a flying bat, the other an orchid, green hardstone stopper.

Height including stopper 2 1/2 in., 6.35 cm.

Property from the Collection of David Billings and Beverly Hall Billings, Nantucket, MA.

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

Provenance:

Inherited from the Garry P. Mack collection.

Property from the Collection of David Billings and Beverly Hall Billings, Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Creating a collection can be the work of a lifetime and cherishing another's life through his collection is something special indeed. My father's passion for collecting Chinese art infused everything he did. He could weave a snuff bottle story into any aspect of his eclectic world from the kitchen to the chemical lab. Stories still abound about overcrowded and cluttered rooms in the home of this talented and temperamental Renaissance man, but that was years ago and I have shared some of these reflections in other arenas. For now, in ‘the spirit of the chase’ aspect of collecting, I would like to offer an unorthodox haiku to celebrate this occasion.

Can I put new stoppers

On old bottles and

Call them mine?

Or is it time to empty boxes

And pursue the divine?

Beverly Hall Billings

Nantucket, Massachusetts