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. Finally, the ovoid form, quite different from the rectangular forms commonly found, indicates that this is an early yet fine example from this rare group.

China. Well hollowed, the ovoid body supported on a short oval foot and rising to a cylindrical neck with everted rim. Finely carved in relief to one side with a lady drawing curtains to the side and looking out an oval window, framed by a prunus tree. The reverse with another lady resting in a pavilion, a willow tree to her right. The short sides with trees and rockwork, 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 particulière, Eure-et-Loir, France.
Condition: Good condition with significant old wear, natural imperfections to the material, few microscopic age cracks, minuscule nibbling to the foot ring. Magnificent natural patina overall.

Stopper: Hornbill with black platelet, fine hornbill spoon. The present stopper is most likely original to this bottle.
Weight: 23.3 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 64 mm, Diameter neck 16 mm and mouth 5 mm

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: Christie’s New York, 10 September 2007, lot 707
Price: USD 67,000 or approx. EUR 82,700 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Very Rare and Superbly Carved Hornbill Snuff Bottle, 1820-1840
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



十九世紀初罕見鶴頂紅雕“美人圖”鼻煙壺
中國。壺口外翻，圓柱形頸部，橢圓形壺體，橢圓形圈足。一側精美浮雕樹下窗内美人拉開窗簾；另一側涼亭中美人休憩圖。巧妙利用犀鳥角層特有的深紅色與半透明的蜜黃色至米色，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：法國 Eure-et-Loir省私人收藏。
品相：狀況良好，有明顯磨損，材料的天然瑕疵，極少的細微老化裂縫，圈足有微小的磕損。整體包漿自然。

壺蓋：鶴頂紅，黑蓋片，精美小勺。壺蓋應為原裝。
重量：23.3 克
尺寸：含蓋高64 毫米，頸部直徑16 毫米，壺口5 毫米

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：紐約佳士得，2007年9月10日，lot 707
價格：USD 67,000（相當於今日EUR 82,700）
描述：1820-1840年鶴頂紅雕鼻煙壺
專家評論：比較材質、雕刻和製作技術，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了獨特的對比。