A Chinese octagonal faceted ruby glass snuff bottle Qing dynasty, early 19th...
A Chinese octagonal faceted ruby glass snuff bottle
Qing dynasty, early 19th century
With short, cylindrical neck, standing on a flat foot with carved base, associated stopper, 5.7cm high without stopper.
清十九世紀早期 八方胭脂紅料鼻煙壺
Throughout the Qing dynasty, glass bottles were produced at the Imperial workshops to be given out as gifts from the Emperor; at the time they were mostly considered fancy containers for high-grade snuff.
With the introduction of a wide variety of minerals from Xinjiang after 1759, it became fashionable to have bottles made out of these precious or semi-precious stones, although mostly the material large enough for bottles was of poor quality. It became very common therefore for the glass workshops to make imitations in glass, with ruby glass becoming one of the staples of the repertoire of the Imperial workshops, often fashioned in a faceted form.
For similarly faceted, although slightly different, ruby glass bottles from the 18th century, see Bonhams, Hong Kong, 26 May 2013, lot 128, attributed to the Imperial workshops, 1700-1750; or the Marakovic Collection, fig.I.26, illustrated online by H. Moss http://www.e-yaji.com/Marakovic/photo.php?photo=2104&exhibition=3&ee_lang=eng.
To illustrate how the same shapes were popular in crystals and in glass, see an example of the same shape, but carved from flawless citrine, dated 1660-1820, from the Mary and George Bloch Collection, part V, Bonham's, Hong Kong, 27 May 2012, Lot 67; illustrated by H. Moss in Treasury 2, no. 234.
Snuff bottles from a Private Collection (Lots 95-238), mostly formed by Frederick George Ruddle (1886-1960), from Carshalton, Surrey, and Lily Beatrice Ruddle (neé Etherington) 1887-1972, from Sutton, Surrey.
The Ruddle family were owners of a large bakery in Sutton, and property developers in Sutton and Carshalton, Surrey
Frederick was by trade, a sign writer; Frederick and Lily left England initially for South Africa and subsequently for Australia, where they settled shortly before the first world war. They had eight children.
Frederick then took up an executive role for an Australia, Southeast Asia and South Sea Island trading company, Burns Philp, which took him to travel extensively in East Asia; it is presumably during the course of these travels that he had the opportunity to discover Chinese and East Asian Art, and start amassing his collection of snuff bottles, amongst other things. He was a passionate collector of many things beside snuff bottles, including Oceanic Art and Orientalia.
In 1978, the current vendor, a grandchild of Frederick, came to England to attend Cambridge university. At the time he was given power of attorney from the executors of the estate to assist in and arrange the sale of Frederick and Lily’s remaining real estate and properties in Sutton and Carshalton.
As thanks for his assistance, the executors, Molly and Hilda Ruddle, gave him the collection of snuff bottles, in 1980, which he lovingly preserved, researched, and added to over the years.
Condition Report:
Bid on this lot
A Chinese octagonal faceted ruby glass snuff bottle
Qing dynasty, early 19th century
With short, cylindrical neck, standing on a flat foot with carved base, associated stopper, 5.7cm high without stopper.
清十九世紀早期 八方胭脂紅料鼻煙壺
Throughout the Qing dynasty, glass bottles were produced at the Imperial workshops to be given out as gifts from the Emperor; at the time they were mostly considered fancy containers for high-grade snuff.
With the introduction of a wide variety of minerals from Xinjiang after 1759, it became fashionable to have bottles made out of these precious or semi-precious stones, although mostly the material large enough for bottles was of poor quality. It became very common therefore for the glass workshops to make imitations in glass, with ruby glass becoming one of the staples of the repertoire of the Imperial workshops, often fashioned in a faceted form.
For similarly faceted, although slightly different, ruby glass bottles from the 18th century, see Bonhams, Hong Kong, 26 May 2013, lot 128, attributed to the Imperial workshops, 1700-1750; or the Marakovic Collection, fig.I.26, illustrated online by H. Moss http://www.e-yaji.com/Marakovic/photo.php?photo=2104&exhibition=3&ee_lang=eng.
To illustrate how the same shapes were popular in crystals and in glass, see an example of the same shape, but carved from flawless citrine, dated 1660-1820, from the Mary and George Bloch Collection, part V, Bonham's, Hong Kong, 27 May 2012, Lot 67; illustrated by H. Moss in Treasury 2, no. 234.
Snuff bottles from a Private Collection (Lots 95-238), mostly formed by Frederick George Ruddle (1886-1960), from Carshalton, Surrey, and Lily Beatrice Ruddle (neé Etherington) 1887-1972, from Sutton, Surrey.
The Ruddle family were owners of a large bakery in Sutton, and property developers in Sutton and Carshalton, Surrey
Frederick was by trade, a sign writer; Frederick and Lily left England initially for South Africa and subsequently for Australia, where they settled shortly before the first world war. They had eight children.
Frederick then took up an executive role for an Australia, Southeast Asia and South Sea Island trading company, Burns Philp, which took him to travel extensively in East Asia; it is presumably during the course of these travels that he had the opportunity to discover Chinese and East Asian Art, and start amassing his collection of snuff bottles, amongst other things. He was a passionate collector of many things beside snuff bottles, including Oceanic Art and Orientalia.
In 1978, the current vendor, a grandchild of Frederick, came to England to attend Cambridge university. At the time he was given power of attorney from the executors of the estate to assist in and arrange the sale of Frederick and Lily’s remaining real estate and properties in Sutton and Carshalton.
As thanks for his assistance, the executors, Molly and Hilda Ruddle, gave him the collection of snuff bottles, in 1980, which he lovingly preserved, researched, and added to over the years.
Condition Report:
