Asian Art II - 21st May 2025
Lot 633
NINE CHINESE SNUFF BOTTLES
Estimate £200 - £300
+ Buyers Premium
Description

NINE CHINESE SNUFF BOTTLES
QING DYNASTY AND LATER
8cm max. (9)
WITHOUT RESERVE
本拍品不設底價。
Three porcelain, the others made from various materials, including agate, lapis lazuli, horn, glass, and hardstone, variously decorated with figures, birds, and foliage, two with Daoguang marks, and one with a Kangxi mark.
Provenance: from the collection of Aubrey Furniss (b.1932), and thence by descent. During his life, Furniss amassed a large and eclectic collection including English miniatures, gold coins, stamps, Doulton, Satsuma, Japanese bronzes and Chinese snuff bottles.
Aubrey Furniss (b.1932), did his national service in Karachi (Pakistan), then joined the police where he did 30 years’ service. During this time both my mother and father started collecting antiques, creating a sizable collection of Doulton, specialising in Hanna and Florence Barlow. Following one of very many trips to Asia in the 1980s and particularly to Hong Kong, the collection was sold and he started collecting Asian ceramics, in particular Satsuma. His interest and collection spread to oriental ivory, snuff bottles and eventually Japanese bronzes. He did have a very eclectic collection, including English miniatures, English gold coins, Cranbury glass and a vast stamp collection.
Peter Furniss