The Joe Grimberg Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles at Sotheby's

Written by Henry Howard-Sneyd Friday, 09 July 2010 20:56

LONDON.- One of the highlights of Sotheby’s fall 2010 Asia Week sales in New York will be a single owner offering of the Joe Grimberg Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles on 14 September 2010. The bottles date from as early as the beginning of the 18th century and reflect a broad variety of Chinese decorative arts from glass and porcelain to jade. Mr. Grimberg bought only from respected dealers and auction houses, meaning that many of the bottles have extensive and impressive provenance, and, at times imperial attribution.

Mr. Grimberg developed a compact collection focused only on snuff bottles of the highest quality; therefore to ensure that his collection didn’t grow to over 200 bottles one would leave the collection every time a fresh snuff bottle was added. Overall the auction is estimated to fetch up to US$6.5 million.

Henry Howard-Sneyd, Sotheby’s Vice Chairman, Asian Art, said: “This is a very personal collection that reflects the superb taste and eye of Joe Grimberg. The sale in September will be the first time for a number of years Sotheby’s New York has held a dedicated snuff bottle auction, so I am delighted to be offering such an important and distinguished collection. These jewel-like objects showcase the skills of Chinese artists and artisans practicing almost all the many different media from porcelain to jade. We are excited to be able to showcase such a wide variety represented by this breathtaking collection in the sale.”

Among the highlights of the Collection is An Enamel On Copper Snuff Bottle, Imperial, Palace Workshops, Beijing, Qianlong Mark And Period (1736-1795). The bottle would possibly have been owned by the Qianlong emperor; he was fascinated by European culture and in fact, several Jesuit missionaries, who were skilled artists, were attached to the Court and drove many artistic and technical developments. European subjects, particularly young women, are depicted on snuff bottles, porcelain, and other enamel-ware, and several famous examples are in museum collections, such as the National Palace Museum in Taipei and in the Palace Museum in Beijing (est. $250/350,000).

By most terms of history in China, snuff bottles are a relatively recent development.  Tobacco reached China toward the end of the 16th Century.  Similar in time to its’ introduction into England.  When tobacco was converted into snuff is hard to say but by the mid seventeenth century seems to be likely. Customs records document that by 1685 snuff was entering China although it possibly may have been in use prior to that date.  Snuff, however, did not come into common usage and was largely a habit of the upper classes.  The Jesuits introduced its use at court and soon it became increasingly common among the court, rich landlords and merchants.

The Chinese believed that snuff possessed medicinal qualities and that its use helped to dispel colds, cure migraine, sinus and tooth pain, relieve throat trouble, cause sweats and counter asthma and constipation.  Snuff was believed to be particularly an aid to digestion.  Beijing was always the center of snuff usage in China.  The “Hsiang tsu pi chi”, a document written in the early 18th Century, notes that snuff was being manufactured in Beijing at this time.  Mint, camphor and Jasmine were and still are added to snuff in China.

It was not until the eighteenth century that snuff-bottles began to be made in large numbers.  The traditional shape for snuff bottles were that they were small enough to fit in the palm of the hand.  Generally they were provided with a small spoon fixed in the stopper and capped.

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