Featured Carved Opal Snuff Bottle

Hi,
My Grandmother passed late last year and when going through her belongings I found this carved snuff bottle. I found out from my mother that my grandmother had purchased it from an antique store in NJ in the 60's or 70's for around $100. It appears to have a carved blossom, butterfly, rabbit(?) and somethin else. Its is around 1.75'-2" tall. I was hoping someone would be able to take a look and let me know if they recognize the symbols/meanings and if it appears authentic, and possibly an approximate time it would have been created?


Thank you so much for any help.

 

Hi Lilly Ann This is an interesting object, but can you go back and edit your post and click on insert all as full image above your photos. It will make it easier to see your photos. Like this.

 

Thank you Kiko, I've updated it. I hope that is better.

 

Good deal This will help members who know about such things to look at your pretty piece more easily.

 

I don’t know anything about them but here’s an article you may be interested in.
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/bottles/snuff

 

Welcome Lilly Ann. It is a beautiful bottle. It is not very old, and was probably new when your Grandmother bought it. The spoon is typical of more recent bottles. Many bottles were made as gifts, put on display, and never used.
Just a question, are the 'shoulders' hollowed out on the inside?

Snuff bottles don't have to be antique to be appreciated, I have a few newer ones in my collection too. And I love carved (precious) stone bottles like your Grandmother's. She had excellent taste.

 

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Hi, Thank you. I've done my best to look inside and it doesn't appear that the shoulders have been hollowed out. I was wondering if the cap may have been from a different bottle as it doesn't seem to match really upon close examination. I may be crazy but there seems to be some kind of white fine powder residue on the walls of the bottle hollow (Gram was a vegan and didn't partake in party favors)

 

You're welcome. If the shoulders aren't hollowed out, it was made to be a purely decorative snuff bottle, which is what I expected.

You're right, the two don't really match. Snuff bottles that were made in larger workshops can have mismatched stoppers. And sometimes stoppers were accidentally switched after arriving at a foreign destination.

The powdery residue could come from the stopper rubbing against the inside of the bottle neck. The stopper looks like it could be alabaster, which is a soft stone.
I have bottles that were used, and they have a sweet smelling, slightly gooey brownish residue in them. Clearly a herbal smell, sometimes a bit like cloves.

 

Thank you so much for the information. The cap is also opalescent but seems a lower grade and the inclusions are striated and finer. I read a lot of articles on these bottles before posting, but having never owned one, I would never have found this information on my own. I really appreciate you taking the time to help.

 

So they did put thought into the combination, it just needs the right light and angle.

Maybe you'll enjoy our snuff bottle thread, with a lot of my own bottles. Feel free to add yours, it would be a nice addition. Here is the link:

https://www.antiquers.com/threads/chinese-snuff-bottles-cameo-carved-and.23777/