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18 Luohan with Dragon and Tiger Snuff Bottle

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Snuff Bottles99 of 36218 Luohan Overlay Glass Snuff BottleWhite and Dark Green Overlay Glass Snuff Bottle
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    Posted 8 years ago

    cshapiro
    (177 items)

    I really like this bottle. To me it seems like folk art. It's made of some kind of bone at the bottom (not ivory) and the neck and shoulders are fashioned from some kind of stone.

    Update on the material: The specific gravity is coming back at 2.0 but the top of the bottle is made of stone and so it will be off a bit. I found a similar bottle in Hidden Treasures of the Dragon bottle #168 and it's made of Mammoth Tooth and so I'm suspecting that's what this is too. But the specific gravity puts it in the range of narwhal, sperm whale, walrus or warthog.

    It's definitely not a palace workshop piece, and so therefore it may very well be one of a kind.

    The thing that immediately drew me to it was the carving. It has the 18 Luohan all faithfully represented with their symbols - but it also has the tiger and dragon!

    Other countries have only 16 Luohan (or Arhats), but China added Nantimitolo who holds the spiritual pearl and the holy bowl and who is tasked with taming the Dragon, and Pindola who holds the magical ring and is tasked with taming the Tiger.

    Having the two animals in the carving makes it extra special to me because most depictions seem to only include the Luohan.

    Oh and a note - that's not dirt that you see on it - it's patina on the bone. I scrubbed the bottle really well with mild soap and a soft toothbrush and none of it came off.

    This bottle measures 6.7 inches tall

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    Comments

    1. shareurpassion shareurpassion, 8 years ago
      This piece is very cool. I think you got it right when you said folk art! I don't know much about these, but when it comes to folk art it seems to pull my attention.

      Is the color of this gray? Very interesting!
    2. cshapiro cshapiro, 8 years ago
      Hi shareurpassion! Thanks! It's really more of an ivory color in person, but the top is made of some kind of stone and is slightly darker. Where the bone cracked it either stained or dirt lodged in the cracks because I scrubbed it and none of it came off!
    3. racer4four racer4four, 8 years ago
      That's really interesting construction: stone top and bone bottom. Have you seen that before? I assume they are fixed together as a slide or press fit - no glue. About right?
    4. cshapiro cshapiro, 8 years ago
      Hi racer4four - I don't know how it's attached because I can't see in there, but I do know it's waterproof.
    5. cshapiro cshapiro, 8 years ago
      Oh and yes I have seen other bone carvings with the top and bottom in other materials like wood - but this one has a bone bottom and so not sure if the top was originally stone or it was added as a repair :)

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