Clare Chu – författare

The owner of The Lotus Pond Collection first ran into Chinese snuff bottles in an antique store in San Francisco in 1993 and has been fascinated by them ever since.

This collection covers mostly imperial porcelain and enamel on metal snuff bottles from the Qianlong period, mid-Qing imperial glass and jade snuff bottles, and some organic snuff bottles from mid-Qing. Others include bottles from Jingdezhen, Yangzhou and Suzhou Schools, Beijing glasses, inside painted and enamel on glass snuff bottles. There are also samples of Official School agate snuff bottles.

The whole collection covers 500 plus snuff bottles and was named The Lotus Pond Collection as it is the name of the owner’s hometown.

It is not only the quality and beauty of the bottles that will hold appeal for collectors but also the scholarly expertise which is apparent throughout the collection. This reflects the interest that the owner of the collection has in the cultural significance of his collection.

Text in English and Chinese.

Jason Chen, the owner of this collection, is a man with a passion for life, of which much time is devoted to collecting snuff bottles, although he runs a thriving business. His collection houses over 2,000 bottles, with a select portion shown in these two volumes. Volume I illustrates bottles from varying materials, while the second, slimmer volume shows part of Jason's collection of miniature snuff bottles. While the whole collection is a work of art in itself, Jason, like other passionate collectors, has a story for every bottle, often the story of acquisition. He is a collector who enjoys both the thrill of the chase and the pleasure of ownership. When other collectors think of Jason Chen and his collection, they often speak of his love of great agate bottles.Few collectors have dedicated themselves to forming a collection of miniature snuff bottles in the way that Jason has. For the most part, although collectors have affection for the smallest of the small, Jason has applied himself to hunting down and acquiring these minute treasures.Text in English and Chinese.

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