A Chinese turquoise-blue overlay white glass 'orchid' snuff bottle attributed to the...
A Chinese turquoise-blue overlay white glass 'orchid' snuff bottle attributed to the Yangzhou School
Qing dynasty, 1830-1911
The milky white glass blown in a flattened pear shape, standing on a thin, protruding turquoise foot ring, the turquoise overlay carved through to leave delicate orchids scattered around the body, the verso with a seal mark with the auspicious message 'Jixiang' 吉祥, to the lower right body, gilt metal and turquoise glass stopper, 5.3cm high without stopper.
一八三零 - 一九一 一 白地套藍料蘭花紋鼻煙壺，「吉羊」款
Cf. an almost identical snuff bottle is illustrated by Hugh Moss and Stuart Sargeant, The Water Pine and Stone Retreat Collection of Snuff Bottles, Part Two, Non-Imperial Influence over the Snuff Bottle Arts, no. 34.3.757.
Another bottle of the same group, also in the same collection, no. 34.3.948, where dated 1830-1911, illustrated by Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 5, Hong Kong, 2002, no. 1044. This bottle was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 26 May 2013, lot 222.
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:
Some nibbling to edges of rim and foot; the external edge of mouth rim also with signs of scratching and abrasion - many bottles of this type have an overlay ring around the mouth which is missing on the present bottle.
A few short, fine hairlines around the mouth, and a longer fine hairline, possibly from manufacturing, to neck and shoulder.
Bid on this lot
A Chinese turquoise-blue overlay white glass 'orchid' snuff bottle attributed to the Yangzhou School
Qing dynasty, 1830-1911
The milky white glass blown in a flattened pear shape, standing on a thin, protruding turquoise foot ring, the turquoise overlay carved through to leave delicate orchids scattered around the body, the verso with a seal mark with the auspicious message 'Jixiang' 吉祥, to the lower right body, gilt metal and turquoise glass stopper, 5.3cm high without stopper.
一八三零 - 一九一 一 白地套藍料蘭花紋鼻煙壺，「吉羊」款
Cf. an almost identical snuff bottle is illustrated by Hugh Moss and Stuart Sargeant, The Water Pine and Stone Retreat Collection of Snuff Bottles, Part Two, Non-Imperial Influence over the Snuff Bottle Arts, no. 34.3.757.
Another bottle of the same group, also in the same collection, no. 34.3.948, where dated 1830-1911, illustrated by Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 5, Hong Kong, 2002, no. 1044. This bottle was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 26 May 2013, lot 222.
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:
Some nibbling to edges of rim and foot; the external edge of mouth rim also with signs of scratching and abrasion - many bottles of this type have an overlay ring around the mouth which is missing on the present bottle.
A few short, fine hairlines around the mouth, and a longer fine hairline, possibly from manufacturing, to neck and shoulder.
