Snuff bottles coming up at Bonhams & Butterfields in San Francisco

Molded porcelain snuff bottle. Qianlong mark, 1850-1920

Snuff bottles seem to be everywhere at auctions these days. Bonhams & Butterfiels' Asian Decorative Art sale in San Francisco on August 30 will have quite a few, most under $1,000-$2,000.





The auctioneer is continuing its Steven Stiller sales with a pale greenish white jade snuff bottle (est. $800-1,200), a molded porcelain snuff bottle, Qianlong mark, 1850-1920 (est. $1,000-1,500) and a silvered metal snuff bottle, 1820-1900 (est. $500-700). The sale will also highlight the Riddell Hoffman Collection with a clear red glass snuff bottle, Qianlong mark (est. $1,000-1,500) and a red overlay snuff bottle, 1820-1900 (est. $600-800).

There will be new offerings from the Gardner Hart Pierson estate, including a jade purse-form snuff bottle, 1820-1900 (est. $1,500-2,500) a white jade snuff bottle, 1850-1920 (est. $1,000-1,500), a large gray jade snuff bottle, late 19th/20th century (est. $1,500-2,500), a white jade snuff bottle with prunus (est. $2,000-3,000), a banded agate snuff bottle (est. $1,500-2,500); and a shadow agate snuff bottle (est. $2,000-3,000).