19th century
Late Qing Dynasty
Porcelain with underglaze cobalt blue and overglaze iron red
Height: 8.5 cm
Diameter: 2.8 cm
From a NYC metro area estate

A charming and superbly decorated 19th c snuff bottle, pairing underglaze cobalt blue with overglaze iron red decoration. The figures depicted are Zhong Kui and his demons. The stopper is made out of dyed bone and is likely a later replacement...

Beautiful antique Chinese snuff bottle carved all of dark agate. The stone is so smokey and dark it appears almost black but has lovely clouds of deep orange on one side. On the reverse side of the bottle, classic agate striations can be seen ranging from almost black to very thin areas of almost clear translucency. The lid of the bottle is made of a brighter orange agate and has long since lost it's spoon. The bottle is carved into an ovoid form and is pleasingly smooth and balanced...