Five Chinese enamel snuff bottles Late Qing dynasty-20th century, two with Qianlong...
Five Chinese enamel snuff bottles
Late Qing dynasty-20th century, two with Qianlong apocryphal marks
Comprising: four painted enamel snuff bottles and one 'backless' cloisonné-enamel bottle, 4.6cm-7.7cm high without stoppers (5).
晚清 - 二十世紀 加彩鼻煙壺五件
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:
From left to right on image: 1 (scholar and ladies in garden) general light wear, approx. 15x6mm enamel flake to shoulder on one side and approx. 8x4mm surface infill. One tiny enamel chip and three further infills to side. 2 (ladies shouldered bottle) 7x4mm flake to shoulder, some rubbing to enamels and some scratching. 3 (green pear-shaped) extensive verdigris and wear to exposed metal and gilt. loss to gilt. one enamel flake to the lower body to the side 4. 'backless' cloisonné: foot slightly misshapen otherwise genera;;y good. 5: European lady: two enamel flakes to one of the short sides (largest approx. 10mm long)
Bid on this lot
Five Chinese enamel snuff bottles
Late Qing dynasty-20th century, two with Qianlong apocryphal marks
Comprising: four painted enamel snuff bottles and one 'backless' cloisonné-enamel bottle, 4.6cm-7.7cm high without stoppers (5).
晚清 - 二十世紀 加彩鼻煙壺五件
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:
From left to right on image: 1 (scholar and ladies in garden) general light wear, approx. 15x6mm enamel flake to shoulder on one side and approx. 8x4mm surface infill. One tiny enamel chip and three further infills to side. 2 (ladies shouldered bottle) 7x4mm flake to shoulder, some rubbing to enamels and some scratching. 3 (green pear-shaped) extensive verdigris and wear to exposed metal and gilt. loss to gilt. one enamel flake to the lower body to the side 4. 'backless' cloisonné: foot slightly misshapen otherwise genera;;y good. 5: European lady: two enamel flakes to one of the short sides (largest approx. 10mm long)
