Antique Chinese Carving
Emperor Empress
Snuff Bottles
Circa: Late 19th-early 20th Century
H 3.5 in.(9cm), W 1.25 in.(3cm), D 1 in.(2.5cm)
Condition: very good

This unusual couple are an Emperor and Empress, the heads modeled separately as stoppers for the bottles, which depict the ornate dress of royalty enriched with tokens of high estate and magical symbols of protection and immortality. The Empress figure stands proudly, graced with imperial robes highlighted with embroideries in cloud, zigzag and foliate motifs; she holds a rustic staff in her right hand and a large stem of ling chi (the fungus of immortality) in her left. Her hair is swept into a high chignon held in place by a lotus-ornamented headdress. Her face is the color of the ivory, a cool cream-white; smooth featured and slightly smiling. Her royal companion is portrayed in robes ornamented in silver embroidery, wearing a lotus flower garland, holding a fan with a whisk at the end of it. He wears a crown and sports a long white beard, the attribute of age and wisdom. His face, which is lit with a warm smile, presents a distinctly Western appearance The tops sit nicely on the bottles, spoons are gone with some loss at the Emperor’s collar.

Private Collection