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Hello Forum members,
Thank you in advance for any response. I have this small 2.5" high bottle which I presume is for snuff. It is heavy for its size and I think it is made from a mineral but not sure which. It is contained in a brass (silver plated?) cage which is decorated with 2 dragons and 2 phoenix. These are all cast with the top and bottom folded and soldered on. It is slightly loose in the cage and has rubbed a bit so it is hard to study the bottle closely. If I shine a small LED in the opening then the neck glows emerald green. There is a stamped seal on the base and I apologise if I have photographed it upside down! Unfortunately it is missing it's lid. Please excuse my ignorance, and thank you for any help in advance. Kind regards. Chris

The mark at the bottom of your snuff bottle, I believe is 天府紋銀 Tian Fu Wen Yin

天府 is the official storage place of government documents of the Western Zhou dynasty;
紋銀 usually means sterling silver (0.925 pure).

Therefore the outside layer of your snuff bottle 鼻煙壺 could indeed be made of sterling silver but you probably need to have it tested by professionals to confirm. I have no idea what the inside was made of, possibly like you said, some kinds of stone, even black jade.

There were snuff bottles like that were made during the Qing dynasty, to imitate styles of the Western Zhou dynasty, with the mark of 天府紋銀 on them. However, there were also many modern forgeries that were probably not made of real silver or real jade, sold for high prices. Therefore if I were you I would send pictures of your bottle to large auction houses to see if they would be interested in auctioning for you.

I have found links for snuff bottles and bowls with similar mark:

http://wx.csshq12580.com/index.php?g=Wap&m=Index&a=content&id=115&token=rwlhae1400034398 (looks similar to yours; the author said they were of Qing dynasty)

All these look like modern fakes to me. But I can be wrong since I am no expert:

http://www.gucn.com/Service_CurioStall_Show.asp?Id=7811113

http://www.7788ybc.com/s752/21200451/

http://jd.cang.com/806089.html

http://bbs.cntv.cn/thread-26593896-1-1.html

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Super

Thank you so much Super for your comprehensive reply. When i look closely at the metal cage it certainly seems to me to be plated as it seems a bit worn through to a slight yellow colour. It maybe that the small cast decoratine pieces are silver, though they are not rubbed so cannot tell.
I did a tiny scratch test on the bottle and it left a small mark and trace of white powder so unlikely to be Jade, but still green a mineral of some sort. I will take your advice and seek profesional help but really appreciate your time and knowledge. Thanks again. Chris

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