Lot 78
Treasury 2, no. 263 (‘The Darth Vader Agate’)
HK$118,750

Agate; very well hollowed, with a concave lip and recessed, slightly convex foot surrounded by a flat footrim
Official School, 1730–1840
Height: 6.1 cm
Mouth/lip: 0.71/1.74 cm
Stopper: coral; pearl finial; gilt-metal collar

Provenance:
Hugh M. Moss Ltd. (1992)

Published:
Kleiner, Yang, and Shangraw 1994, no. 209
Kleiner 1995, no. 267
Treasury 2, no. 263

Exhibited:
Hong Kong Museum of Art, March–June 1994
National Museum, Singapore, November 1994–February 1995
British Museum, London, June–October 1995
Israel Museum, Jerusalem, July–November 1997

This is one of the agate bottles that are in a class with nos. 261 and 262 in this collection and with the famous no. 116 in the J & J Collection (Moss, Graham, and Tsang 1993). It has similarly striking and unusual markings in a lovely, translucent, even partly transparent material and is equally well hollowed, detailed, and polished. It also has equal formal integrity and considerable elegance, augmented by the clever juxtaposition of the natural angular markings, which emphasize the neck and the softly rounded main profile.

This is not the Sotheby’s sale catalogue. This is a product of Hugh Moss for the purposes of this website. For the catalogue details please refer to Sotheby’s website or request a copy of a printed sale catalogue from Sotheby’s.