B50

Chalcedony, toffee coloured with a dark green skin carved with three large lotus leaves and a lotus bud, to the lower left is a toad, also carved from the green material, the bottle of rounded form with a raised oval foot.

Chinese, 1750 - 1860
Stopper: carved coral and turquoise collar
Provenance: Bob C. Stevens, sold at Sotheby's, 1979
Illustrated: The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles by Bob C. Stevens, number 545 and exhibited
(no.129) Mikimoto Catalogue.
Height: 6cm

This is one of a group of agate bottles, all with green skin, which were used to create the subject of the lotus. The distinctive material is well suited to this attractive subject, and the similar style of carving suggests it could be the work of one artist. The lotus is one of the eight Buddhist precious things and is a symbol of purity. The lotus comes out of the mire but is not itself sullied. In Buddhism, the fruit, the flower and the stalk symbolise past present and future.