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Posted 6 months ago
blunderbuss2
(85 items)
I was trying to figure this out. Beautifully carved ivory vial. Figured it was a perfume bottle but also questioned the use of ivory for a liquid. Asking friends in the "Chinnie" community I know, It turns out to be for snuff or something similar. Trying to get a translation of the characters on the bottom, & find out it is in reverse so is a stamp. I've done the ink-pad bit & hope one of them can tell me tomorrow. One said it looked like a name & probably used for a stamp or seal.
Asian AntiquesAsian cultures are among the oldest in the world and are associated with so…
or maybe a opium storage vial -- cw had a good segment last month on opium tools and collections
snuff or opium is what these were used for..is there a metal spoon attached to the lid? if not theres prob a very small hole where the "spoon" was.. i have a silver one of these but the original spoon is missing..someone replaced it with a piece of copper wire.. .. nice bottle!
Probably never know about the spoon as the top is stuck tight & leaving for Australia.
I love it! Beautiful! You can look up ivory and it will show the lines for real and different types of ivory, lines are different for mammoth and elephant and whale, walrus etc. Put some olive oil on to loosen top!
toracat, will remember that for the future but this piece left for Australia this morning. Thanks for the appreciation to you and all the others.