The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Hoard not to be snuffed at
A COLLECTION of more than 150 Chinese snuff bottles is expected to fetch £40,000 when it goes under the hammer next week.
Spanning three centuries, the bottles were collected by Chris Bennett, from Drum, Kinross-shire, over the course of 37 years.
She bought her first one at a local auction in 1976. “I saw a small painted glass bottle,” she said. “I bid for it and came away with the bottle in my pocket, having spent all of £3.
“Weekends were spent browsing Edinburgh antique shops in search for bottles, and I soon found that this was not going to be quick or easy.
“I am sad to see them go, but I hope the bottles will form the base of new collections and find homes with budding new or discerning experienced collectors alike.”
There are 157 bottles, made from a wide variety of materials, in the collection.
Lee Young, Asian specialist at auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull, said: “Being so small, the artists often took the opportunity to express their playfulness and ingenuity. The stone would be carved, poked and prodded into a shape which was comfortable to hold in the palm of the hand, and at the same time, in beautiful or humorous shapes. For instance we have snuff boxes shaped like a fish, a three-legged toad and chilli peppers.”
Experts believe the individual lots could fetch between £300 and £2,000 when they go up for auction in the Fine Asian Works of Art sale on June 4.
Snuff was introduced to the Chinese by the Portuguese in the 17th century. At first taking snuff was a hobby of the Emperor and literati Mandarins, then it spread across the country and by the 19th century, was found in almost every home.
Powdered tobacco was taken as a pinch on the top of the hand, from the thumb and forefinger, or from a small dish.
Mr Young added: “Today, just as in the 18th and 19th centuries, snuff bottles are collected for their beauty and wit — being small, they can turn even the most space challenged enthusiast into a collector.”