Finely painted Chinese glazed ceramic miniature vase with Famille Rose accents and a male and female character. Dimensions: 2 inches tall by 1 inch wide
Recently purchased from a sale in Honolulu, Hawai‘i.
Thank you for submitting your item for appraisal. This appears to be a chinese late Qing Dynasty snuff bottle, decorated with a young woman carrying a basket or a reuse ( Guanyin?) and a saint or General on the other side. Furthermore the snuffbottle is decorated in imperial yellow glaze, showing the "shou" character ( Longevity) on opposing sides and a four character Qianlong Nian Zhi inscription written in overglaze red. There are traces of an old collection number "55", apparently the snuffbottle has been in a larger collection, with a bit of luck it might be possible to establish a provenance which would increase the value of the item. The estimate is based on recent auction results, "asking prices" in the trade and chinese auction results might be much higher and vary.
Very hard to verify if it is just a number. Try to figure out which collection of Asian art was in the proximity. Perhaps old newspaper articles referring to an auction, a collection which might have been part of a college, etc. Lots of possibilties unfortunately. Or books on asian art published in Honolulu prior to 1950. Good luck
It's interesting that you noticed the collection number. I also acquired a Japanese vaselet with intricate bamboo details that was marked with a similar brown collection stamp of "336". Do you have any advice on sources I could consult to establish provenance?