A HORNBILL ‘CAT AND BUTTERFLY’ SNUFF BOTTLE, 1800-1880

Opinion:
The superb color and excellent polish of the present bottle suggest that it was created by using the ancient and today lost method of treating hornbill (see detailed note below), giving the material a rich translucency and protecting it from cracking over time. The carved decoration is well rendered and rare to find in such an elaborate manner on hornbill snuff bottles.

China. The rounded rectangular body supported on a short foot with recessed base and rising to an oval neck. Finely carved in relief on both sides with panels, one enclosing a cat and butterfly framed by a gnarled prunus tree and the other with dynamic warriors and cavalry in front of a fortress. The short sides each carved with a dragon, retaining the characteristic deep red color of the outer sheath layer of the hornbill, creating a unique contrast to the inner layer of translucent honey-yellow to pale cream tone.


Provenance
: Collection of Ted Adameck, thence by descent in the same family. Ted Adameck (1924-2019) was a legendary collector of Netsuke, active for many decades, operating two antique shops in Honolulu and writing countless articles and books on the subject as well as many others on Asian art and culture.

Condition
: Good condition with minor wear and natural imperfections to the material, including expected age cracks. Few tiny nicks, the mouth possibly with a small chip that has been smoothened. Magnificent natural patina overall.

Stopper: Hornbill (matching)
Weight: 34 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 64 mm, Diameter neck 15 mm and mouth 4 mm


Cats and butterflies
are symbols of longevity. The cat (mao) is a homonym for ‘seventy’, while the butterfly (die) shares the same sound as ‘eighty’. Together, they form a rebus for maodie. This term implies that one would live to be seventy or eighty - considered high age in ancient China.


Hornbill was a highly valued material in China
well before snuff bottles came into fashion in the Qing dynasty, after tobacco was introduced from the West in the early 18th century. The precise value is listed in the official regulations of the Ming dynasty, which set it for a single piece of ‘ho-ting’ (the term given to the material by Ming scholars, writing it with the characters for ‘crane’ and for ‘head’) at a thousand cash, the same amount given for half an ounce of precious coral beads, or a fifth of an ounce of rare seed pearls. This also shows that hornbill was worth far more than elephant ivory at that time, for the latter was valued at five hundred cash per pound, while it would have taken a great many pieces of ho-ting to make a pound, especially since the term was sometimes applied to the red sheathing alone.


It is thought that there were once two distinct methods of treating hornbill
, the solid casque with the tough red sheath that sits atop the upper beak, protecting the brain of the bird. The secret of the first method appears to have been lost but may have involved heating and perhaps permeating the material with some preservative. All known early pieces seem to have been handled this way, including snuff bottles. This treatment preserves the material very well, giving it a rich translucency and strength. We can only infer this preliminary manipulation from the finished product since no direct information about the techniques of treating hornbill ivory has been recorded. Any special methods used by Chinese craftsmen were always kept as closely guarded secrets by the guilds involved to forestall outside competition. The second method involved carving the material directly, which left the surface prone to cracking.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams San Francisco, 23 August 2010, lot 6138
Price: USD 3,965 or approx.
EUR 4,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A carved hornbill snuff bottle, 1800-1880
Expert remark: Compare the material, carving and treatment technique, as well as the characteristic deep red color of the outer sheath layer, creating a unique contrast to the inner layer of translucent honey-yellow to pale cream tone.

This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore, after this item has the necessary trade certificate, it can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.




1800-
1880
年鶴頂紅“貓蝶戲”鼻煙壺


中國。扁平壺，直頸，溜肩，橢圓圈足。兩面分別浮雕屬下靈貓戲蝶圖與人物刀馬圖。壺兩側各雕刻一條龍，保留了鶴頂紅外鞘層特有的深紅色，與半透明的蜜黃色形成獨特的對比。


專家注釋:
本瓶的絕妙的顏色運用和極佳的拋光，説明它是使用古老但如今已失傳的處理鶴頂紅的方法製成的，賦予材料豐富的半透明性並防止其隨著時間的推移而開裂。鶴頂紅鼻煙壺上的雕工精細，實屬罕見。橢圓形壺身與常見的方形截然不同，更佳體現其稀有。


來源：
Ted Adameck收藏，在同一家族保存至今。Ted Adameck (1924-2019年) 是一位傳奇的根付收藏家，活躍了數十年，在火奴魯魯經營著兩家古董店，撰寫了無數關於這個主題以及許多其他亞洲藝術和文化的文章和書籍。

品相：
狀況良好，有輕微磨損和自然缺陷，包括老化裂紋，細小的劃痕，壺口處有一個可能已經磨平的小缺口，整體包漿自然。

壺蓋: 鶴頂紅
重量：34 克
尺寸：含蓋高 64 毫米，頸部直徑15 毫米與壺口直徑4 毫米。


貓與“耄”諧音，蝶與“耋”同音
。關於耄耋可見《禮記》：“七十曰耄，八十曰耋，百年曰期頤。“ 所以耄耋為長壽之意。《靈貓戲蝶圖》也經常用來祝賀長壽。


鶴頂紅在清代鼻煙壺流行之前，早在十八世紀初從西方傳入煙草，在中國就已備受推崇
。明朝的官規中列出了準確的價值，將其定為單片“鶴頂”一千金，相當於半盎司珍貴珊瑚珠或五分之一盎司稀有珍珠的價值。這也說明鶴頂紅在當時的價值遠超象牙，因為後者價值五百現金一磅。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：舊金山邦瀚斯，2010年8月23日，lot 6138
價格：USD 3,965（相當於今日
EUR 4,500
）
描述：1800-1880年鶴頂紅鼻煙壺
專家評論：比較材質、雕刻和處理技術，以及外層特有的深紅色，與內層半透明的蜜黃色至淡奶油色形成獨特的對比。