Bone Cylindrical Snuff Bottle with Incised Phoenix and Auspicious Inscription
Name/Title
Bone Cylindrical Snuff Bottle with Incised Phoenix and Auspicious InscriptionEntry/Object ID
SB3427Description
Chinese cylindrical bone snuff bottle, probably late Qing dynasty to Republic period, provisionally late 19th to early 20th century. The tall cylindrical body is constructed of polished bone displaying prominent natural pores and longitudinal vascular channels and is fitted with a rounded shoulder, short circular mouth and defined lower foot. One side is finely incised and darkened with a phoenix-like bird in flight beneath sweeping stylized foliage, its plumage articulated by short linear cuts. The reverse bears four incised Chinese characters or stylized character forms arranged in two vertical groups; the lower-left character appears to read 祥 (xiang, "auspicious"), while the remaining characters have not been securely identified. The underside is deeply recessed within a circular foot and clearly displays the natural structure of the bone. The surface exhibits age-related yellowing, staining, wear, natural porosity and scattered longitudinal hairlines/fissures. No stopper is present.Category
Chinese snuff bottle
Made/Created
Artist
Maker presently unidentifiedTime Period
20th CenturyEthnography
Cultural Region
Continent
AsiaCulture/Tribe
Chinese