A WHITE JADE SNUFF BOTTLE
1760-1800
Of flattened, rectangular form with rounded shoulders sloping to a cylindrical neck, and with a neatly carved deep rectangular footrim, the nephrite very well-hollowed, and of an even white tone, carved on the two main sides with raised panels, the narrow sides with mock mask and ring handles; stopper.
2 1、2in (6.5cm) high
Footnotes:
1760-1800 白玉素開光鼻煙壺一件

Provenance:
Eldred's Auction Gallery, August 1981
Joan and Ted Dorf Collection, no. 179

At some time during the Qianlong period a trend developed for plain undecorated bottles, usually in hardstones, but predominantly in nephrite. The majority of them are very well-hollowed through an unusually narrow mouth, showing the skill and dexterity of the maker. A staple of this production was in white nephrite of the highest quality and purity, which may suggest a date after 1760 when the Qing dynasty extended it boundaries to include the jade producing regions of Khotan (in Xinjiang province). From then on vast quantities of the purest stone were provided on an annual basis as tribute to the Emperor, lasting until the Daoguang period.