Two porcelain snuff bottlesThe elephant late 18th century; the squirrel Jiaqing/ DaoguangOne bottle well-modelled in a form of a recumbent caparisoned white elephant with an iron-red and gilt-decorated zun set atop its back on a saddle with gilt scrolls on the edge, porcelain stopper; the other moulded as a squirrel perching on a grapevine enamelled in pink, purple, iron-red and green, the body hair and tail decorated extensively in grey enamels, jadeite stopper.The elephant 5cm (2in) wide; the squirrel 7.5cm (3in) high (4).注脚ProvenanceA European private collection, and thence by descent.The auspicious subject of an elephant carrying a vase forms the rebus 'taiping youxiang (太平有象)', which stands for 'When there is peace, there are signs'. Compare a related elephant example illustrated by B.C.Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, New York and Tokyo, 1976, pl.308.The combination of squirrel and grapes is a popular motif in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, particularly in snuff bottles, porcelain and Yixing teapots, which symbolises longevity and the wish for generations of offspring. A similar example in the form of a squirrel can be seen in the Snowy Peaks Collection illustrated by R.Hall, Chinese Snuff Bottles XI: the Snowy Peaks Collection, Hong Kong, 2005, pl.40. See also a similar 'squirrel and grapes' example illustrated by B.Stevens, ibid., pl.309.