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Afghanistan Gourd Snuff Bottle with Silver Fittings browse these categories for related items... All Items: Antiques: Regional Art: Middle Eastern: Pre 1920: item # 594687
Ruyi Studio San Francisco By Appointment San Francisco, CA 94131 415.990.3524 Guest Book $220.00 |
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| FROM AFGHANISTAN, a rare an unusual antique personal artifact, this snuff box or snuff bottle fashioned from a moulded gourd with silver appointments. The decorated gourd has not been carved. Instead, a growing gourd is encased in a two-part wooden mold inside of which is carved and incised decoration. The gourd is removed at maturity, its having grown into the molded negative spaces, the gourd surface now in wonderful relief. The gourd has been fitted with silver wires and an ornamental silver waist to which are attached chains leading to the 3 cm long silver plug which is inserted through an ornate silver collar. The item is in excellent condition. The hardened gourd showing only a small area with superficial surface cracking owing to age, and a smoky rich dark patina contrasted with the tribal silver work. Many older items such as this have been lost because of warfare in Afghanistan, others were carried out of Afghanistan by expatriates fleeing the Taliban who disapproved of such simple but pleasurable personal artifacts as this snuff bottle. Dimensions: Approx. 16 cm long from base to tip of plug attachment and approx. 6 cm across widest point. Note: the technique of moulding growing gourds into bottles and vases may have originated in China in ancient times and spread throughout Asia and the Middle East. By the Chien-lung period the Chinese had developed sophisticated moulds to produce highly durable relief decorated vases of which there are both imperial and folk art examples. | ||
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