WHAT: When Christieโs New York sold Part II of a private collection of Chinese snuff bottles last month, the 154 lots totaled just under $1 million. One, a sandwiched pink glass bottle in the form of an elongated Chinese cabbage, brought $10,625.
MORE: Sandwiched glass involves layers of differing color glass that are pressed or cut down into. Only 3 inches high, this bottle has a layer of pink glass between two layers of white glass. The white is carved on the exterior to form cabbage leaves that extend upward. The neck is speckled with green and pink glass; the stopper is carved jadeite.
SMART COLLECTORS KNOW: Chinese cabbage, โbaicaiโ or โqingcai,โ is a symbol for wealth because it has the same sound as the word for money or wealth. Hence the cabbage shape of the bottle.
HOT TIP: Tobacco was introduced to the Beijing court by the Portuguese in the 16th century. At first, snuff bottles were strictly a court or upper class item. Intended to fit into the palm of a hand, early examples acquired a patina that is much prized today.
BOTTOM LINE: Significant collections built by knowledgeable collectors tend to sell high โ often spectacularly โ when they come to market. Built by focused individuals who do their research and buy only the very best, important single owner collections are often a bonanza for both seller and buyer.
MORE: On June 22, Christieโs will disperse another single owner collection when it sells items from Joan Riversโ penthouse. Included are a silver Tiffany water bowl engraved โSpike,โ Bob Mackie costumes, Faberge and French furniture, and designer jewels of all kinds.
