Posted 8 years ago
cshapiro
(177 items)
Most of the rutilated quartz in snuff bottles is black, so the red needles in this one attracted me.
Rutile often forms as thin, needle-like crystals, which are commonly found as inclusions in minerals such as quartz and corundum. Rutile is commonly a brownish-red color due to the presence of iron impurities. Reflecting this characteristic color, the name rutile derives from the Latin word “rutilus,” which means “red.”
Even though red rutile needles are common, they are less commonly made into snuff bottles or at least in snuff bottles that are genuinely old.
It has a very old auction sticker on it, a concave base, and is very well hollowed.
One of the things I have enjoyed learning from your posts is the value the Chinese place on snuff bottles. To consistently search for the unusual, then put huge effort into making the bottles, shows just how much they valued these objects.
Thanks racer4four! Yes, apparently in China the rutilated quartz supply mainly consisted of black needles, and so this was either a rare find or imported. ;)