I became interested in Chinese snuff bottles at a young age when I was gifted one by a family friend who had acquired a number of bottles during his service near modern day Xi’an in China during World War II. At the time (late 1980’s) I was a budding collector of WWII memorabilia, so the gift was doubly interesting even though I did not fully understand what it was used for, or that it predated the war by approximately 200 years. After storing that jade treasure away for many years I happened upon a hardstone (amethyst) snuff bottle in an antique store in the late 2000’s and my passion for these small works of art was ignited.
About My Offerings
Although I eventually intend to limit the scope of my offerings to snuff bottles and Japanese sword fittings, at the moment a wide variety of Chinese decorative and utilitarian pieces can be found here, as well as some Japanese items. There are objects that were produced for use by the highest levels of society, as well as items that would have been used by the lower ranks; items produced by Chinese craftsmen for local use from local materials, and items that were imported across trade routes or crafted from imported materials; objects dating to the 1st millennium B.C.E., and items produced at various periods of the 20th century.
Family friend with General Yang near Xi’an (1944/1945)
In the descriptions I have tried to include all of the information that I can support with evidence, and in many cases it has taken significant research to verify the authenticity and accurately date the item. However this is not to say that more information will not become available in the future as I continue my research, nor to say that I am infallible. If new information comes to my attention regarding a piece I have offered I will promptly update the description, or if need be, pull the item if there are issues regarding its authenticity.
This site, and the pieces for sale on it, are the result of a multi-year effort to bring together a selection of Asian antiques of varying types, qualities, and price points. My specific goals are twofold. The first is to offer pieces from a variety of time periods at an “accessible” price, and the second is to have the photographs on this site be accurate renditions of the objects they depict which includes the showing of any readily apparent deterioration of the material and/or flaws that occurred during their production. In addition I strive to present color that is true to life, although I cannot predict what type of display the visitors to this site will be using so there may be variations depending on your device. The colors as they are displayed on my Dell wireless monitor are as true to life as I can create. In a few instances there may be a photo or two of some important feature of a piece that I have included even if the color is not totally accurate. If this occurs it will always be noted and explained in the description to the right of the item.
In closing I hope that you find this site easy to navigate, full of interesting and useful information, and for those of you who collect the types of items found here (or know someone who does), I hope you see something that you would like to add to your collection or give to a loved one. Thank you.
-Andrew Phillips-
The Chinese Snuff Bottle Society of America, Inc. was formed in 1968 as the first society to honor snuff bottle collectors and to publish scholarly articles about snuff bottles