A CARVED IVORY 'TEN FRIENDS AMONG FLOWERS' SNUFF BOTTLE, 19TH CENTURY Ivory with age crazing, even honey color patina and smooth surface polish. China, 19th centurySkillfully carved with four panels, each with blossoming trees and plants, representing the four seasons of the year (peony, lotus, prunus, chrysanthemum), each panel with a two-character inscription in a small cartouche. All these refer to the set of the so called "ten friends among flowers" (huazhong shi you), which is a set of ten most favorite flowers that are each associated with a certain quality of friendship.Inscription (translated): Famous Friend (mingyou), referring to the crabapple flower (appearing twice); Pure Friend (jingyou), referring to the lotus and Good Friend" (jiayou), referring to the chrysanthemumHollowing: GoodMouth, neck and lip: Small mouth, expanding round neck, belted by a meander borderBase: Round with distinguished rimStopper: Matching, with tortoise shell spoonHeight of the bottle with stopper: 6.1 cmWidth of the mouth: 5 mmWidth of the neck: 14 mmCondition: Mint conditionProvenance: Australian private collectionLiterature comparison: S.E. Lucas, The Catalogue of Sassoon Chinese Ivories, Vol. III, London, 1950, pp 1099-1101, No. 764. (for a bottle showing similar carving style and technique).Expertise: Alexander Zacke象牙四季鼻煙壺, 19世紀象牙雀絲汎黃, 古雅溫蜜色, 平整磨光, 中國, 19世紀巧妙地雕成四屏, 都帶花卉紋 (牡丹, 蓮, 梅, 菊), 代表一年當中的四季. 每屏又雕兩個漢字為題.形狀:長方躰掏膛:良好瓶口、頸、瓶唇: 小口, 長圓頸, 蜿蜒邊帶底足:圓形, 凸出邊蓋: 相配, 龜甲雕勺高(帶蓋):6.1厘米口徑:0.5厘米頸部直徑:1.4厘米狀態敘述:完善來源:澳大利亞私人舊藏文獻: S. E. Lucas, The Catalogue of Sassoon Chinese Ivories, Vol. III, London, 1950, 頁 1099–1101, 編號 764.