A shadow agate snuff bottleSuzhou School, ate 19th century/early 20th century
Well-hollowed, of ovoid form rising from a raised oval foot to a waisted neck, flat lip, one side incorporating the color variations in the gold-hued brown matrix, carved in multiple layers depicting birds and flowering branches above a fish jumping over waves, the upper section carved with an inscription reading Mei Shou Wan Nian [Chun] (ten-thousand-year longevity), the reverse carved in low relief with a line of a poem, followed with an incised wenwan cartouche.
2 1/8in (5.4cm) high