AN OPAL MATRIX ‘LEAPING TIGER’ SNUFF BOTTLE, QING DYNASTY China, 1644-1912. Well hollowed. The banded brown body of flattened globular form, with a short oval foot, a broad cylindrical neck with a slightly concave top and a small mouth. The iridescent bluish-gray matrix to the front of one side carved with a tiger leaping from a craggy outpost from under which a pine tree grows.

Provenance: Private collection in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, the spoon is lost.

Expert’s note: Opal Matrix is an extremely rare material on early bottles. The quality of the carving on the present example and specifically the excellent hollowing point to a date from circa 1750-1850.

Stopper: Agate, black platelet
Weight: 144.3 g
Dimensions: Height incl. stopper 79 mm, Diameter neck 24 mm and mouth 7 mm