China, 1750-1800. Of rounded spade shape, with plain narrow sides tapering towards the flat foot, the slightly flared neck of rectangular section, each main face neatly carved with 50 shou characters. The matching bamboo stopper with veneer surmounted by a ball shaped finial. The bamboo with a naturally grown, golden-brown patina overall.

Provenance: Robert C. Eldred Co., 10 December 2004, lot 495. A private collection in the United States, acquired from the above. Eldred’s is the oldest continuously operating auction house in New England, founded in 1947 by Robert C. Eldred, Sr. In 1978, his son Robert C. Eldred, Jr. became President of the company, leading it for over three decades until his retirement in 2014.
Condition: Excellent condition with expected old wear and minor traces of use.

Stopper: Bamboo, bone spoon
Weight: 14.6 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 65 mm. Length neck 13 mm and mouth 6 mm

This bottle belongs to a group of bamboo bottles of distinctive type, apparently developed in the Beijing Palace workshops during the late 18th century.

Bamboo veneer, or zhuhuang, was a technique developed in Jiangxi province in the mid-Qianlong period and taken up by the Palace Workshops thereafter remaining popular at the Court well into the 19th century. It required tremendous skill, using the inner layer from the cortex of the bamboo, which was resistant to insects, to create the veneer. This was then decoratively applied to a base form, usually also made of bamboo, and subsequently carved.

The subject of the present bottle, the 100 shou longevity characters, is appropriately matched with the bamboo medium as the grass is known for its long life. A bamboo veneer bottle such as this would have been appropriate for a scholar-official in the court, because bamboo is also representative of the attributes of a gentleman, being strong, yet flexible, and evergreen (symbolizing constancy).

Literature comparison:
A bottle of the identical design is in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing and illustrated in Masterpieces of Snuff Bottles in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1995, fig. 186, p. 181. Another identical bottle, from the collection of Denis Low, is illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Treasures from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect, Hong Kong, fig. 207, 1999, p. 242. This spade-shaped example probably bears the closest comparison to two moon-flask bottles illustrated in Snuff Bottles in the Collection of The National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1992, Catalogue, nos. 414 and 415, p. 271.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 14 September 2010, lot 96
Price: USD 46,875 or approx. EUR 60,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare bamboo veneer 'hundred shou character' snuff bottle
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, decoration, and material. Note the size (54 mm).



清代竹簧壽字鼻煙壺
中國，1750-1800年。扁平鼻煙壺，成圓形，近足部内收，平足，方口，直頸。側面成素面。正面背面開光，分別雕刻50個壽字。壺蓋成穹頂狀，上有頂珠。表面自然金棕色包漿。

來源：Robert C. Eldred Co.，2004年12月10日，lot 495；美國私人收藏，購於上述拍賣。Eldred’s是新英格蘭最老的拍賣行之一，由Robert C. Eldred成立於1947年。1978年他的兒子Robert C. Eldred成爲公司總裁，領導公司三十多年，直至2014年退休。
品相：狀況極佳，有預期的舊磨損和輕微使用痕跡。

壺蓋：竹子，骨勺
重量：14.6 克
尺寸：含蓋高 65 毫米，頸部長13毫米，口部直徑 6 毫米

此類鼻煙壺為十八世紀晚期北京清宮廷御作坊所製。

竹簧是一大發明與創造，至乾隆中期在江西地區竹簧工藝達到高峰，並被宮廷御作坊採用，此後一直在清廷中流行到 19 世紀。其製作工藝相當複雜，將竹子留下薄層的竹簧，經過煮、曬、壓平後，膠合在木胎上，然後磨光，再在上面刻飾各種圖案。

此瓶題材為百壽字，寓意吉祥；而竹子又是四君子之一，剛勁而不失柔韌，像這樣的竹簧鼻煙壺，適合宮廷朝臣使用。

文獻比較：
一件幾乎相同設計的鼻煙壺，收藏於北京故宮博物院，見《故宮鼻煙壺選萃》，北京，1995年，圖186，頁181。另一件幾乎相同的鼻煙壺，來自Denis Low收藏，見Robert Kleiner，《Treasures from the Sanctum of Enlightened Respect》，香港，圖207，1999年，頁242。比較一件鏟子形與兩個扁壺形的鼻煙壺，見《故宮鼻煙壺》圖錄，台北，1992年，編號414和415，頁271。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2010年9月14日，lot 96
價格：USD 46,875（相當於今日EUR 60,500）
描述：清代竹簧壽字鼻煙壺
專家評論：比較非常相近的外形、裝飾和材料。請注意尺寸 (54 毫米)。

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