The Golden Autumn Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles by Robert Kleiner (Signed and Inscribed by the Author) (PT163)

Published 2012: First Edition / Hardcover / Excellent Condition / Illustrated throughout / Signed and Inscribed by the Author

Original pictorial boards and original pictorial dust jacket. 159 as new very clean and bright pages. Slight shelf wear might be expected. (PT163)

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All good collections, when viewed as a whole, have the signature of their creators, an overall stamp which embodies the taste of the collector and is the sum of the individual parts.The stamp of this collector is much stronger and more clearly defined than usual. He has not sought to have examples of each material or as many different subjects as possible. Instead, his unerring eye has concentrated on much more subtle indications of quality. In particular he has been moved by the essence of shape or form and the manner in which these combine to create an additional, sculptural quality, not something one often associates with an item as small as a snuff bottle.

Among the most beautiful of the world's art forms are Chinese snuff bottles, miniature bottle-shaped flasks, often of astounding intricacy and tactile appeal, which were made for court and subsequently popular use during the Qing Dynasty. Within the last 20 years or so, snuff bottles have been collected by an increasingly wide circle of enthusiasts. While recent research has led to a number of discussions of the topic, the collecting of snuff bottles remains an area within which the unwary may be trapped, particulary as the spectacular rise in value of these small items has proved a spur to the skilled faker.

About the Author
Robert Kleiner is Consultant to Sotheby's, London, concerning snuff bottles. Google Books.