Lot 81
Treasury 7, no. 1591 (‘Success with a Sparkle’)
HK$106,250

Transparent brown amber; carved in the form of a three-legged toad, its mouth forming the mouth of the bottle, the bulbous eyes made of separate hemispheres of amber glued on
1770–1860
Length: 5.3 cm
Stopper: ivory; gilt-silver collar

Provenance:
Private American collection
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd (2002)

Published:
Treasury 7, no. 1591

The three-legged toad is the familiar companion of Liu Hai 劉海, the immortal associated with successful ventures in business, and as such would invoke this deity and convey the auspicious wish for success associated with him, even when Liu Hai is away on leave.

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.