A SHADOW AGATE 'LIU HAI LURING THE GOLDEN TOAD' SNUFF BOTTLE, 19TH CENTURY China. Of rounded form, rising from an oval foot to a straight neck, one side carved with a fisherman on a boat crossing a river towards a man on the shore, the reverse with Liu Hai luring the three-legged golden toad with a cash coin on a fishing-rod, his attendants holding a basket and lotus flowers. The translucent stone of a pale gray tone with dark brown markings.

Provenance: Millon Jutheau on 24 April 1983, lot 167. French private collection, by repute acquired from the above (invoice lost). Thence by descent within the family to the last owner.
Condition: Very good condition with minor old wear, minuscule nibbling to mouth and rim, few tiny nicks to exposed areas. Fine cracks to the rim, most likely inherent to the stone.

Stopper: Hardstone
Weight: 142.2 g
Dimensions: Height including stopper 76 mm. Diameter neck 21 mm and mouth 8 mm

The story of Liu Hai is frequently related as 'Liu Hai playing with the Golden Toad'. However, there is a hidden meaning here: The Chinese word for toad is chanchu, and sometimes only the first character, chan, is spoken. In some Chinese dialects, the character chan has a pronunciation very similar to qian which means 'coin'. Therefore, a storyteller reciting 'Liu Hai playing with the Golden Toad' could also be heard by listeners as 'Liu Hai playing with the gold coins'.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 17 September 2016, lot 1052
Price: USD 3,250 or approx. EUR 3,800 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A shadow agate snuff bottle, Qing dynasty, 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the similar form, the carving, and the shadings of the agate.



十九世紀影子瑪瑙劉海戲金蟾鼻烟壺
中國。寬肩微削，橢圓形圈足，圓柱形短頸，平唇。褐色半透明石頭，利用影子狀斑紋，一面雕刻了船上漁夫場景；另一面雕刻了劉海戲金蟾的故事，劉海垂釣於絲瓜井中，金蟾咬釣而起。他的童子拿著竹籃和荷花。

來源：1983年4月24日巴黎Millon Jutheau拍賣行 lot 128；法國私人收藏，據説購於上述拍賣（發票遺失）；在同一家族保存至今
品相：品相極好，有輕微的磨損，壺唇和邊緣有微小的磕損，壺身有細小的刻痕。邊緣有細裂縫，很可能是石料原有的。

壺蓋：硬石
重量：142.2 克
尺寸：高 （含蓋）76 毫米，頸部直徑21 毫米及壺口直徑8 毫米

劉海的故事經常與“劉海戲金蟾”有關。這裡除了關於劉海垂釣金蟾之後升天的故事，還有一個隱藏的含義：蟾中文是chan，在一些漢語方言中，“chan”這個字的發音與“硬幣”非常相似，硬幣就是財富，所以說“劉海戲金蟾”也可以理解成“劉海玩金幣”。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2016年9月17日，lot 1052
價格：USD 3,250（相當於今日EUR 3,800）
描述：十九世紀清代影子瑪瑙鼻烟壺
專家評論：比較相近的外型、雕刻，以及瑪瑙的色澤。