A Chinese 'qilin' smoky quartz snuff bottle
20th century
The bottle well hollowed, finely carved...

A Chinese 'qilin' smoky quartz snuff bottle

20th century

The bottle well hollowed, finely carved as a recumbent qilin looking back over his shoulder to a small boy clambering over his rum, coral stopper, 7cm long.

清二十世紀 煙晶麒麟式鼻煙壺

Snuff bottles from a Private Collection (Lots 95-238), mostly formed by Frederick George Ruddle (1886-1960), from Carshalton, Surrey, and Lily Beatrice Ruddle (neé Etherington) 1887-1972, from Sutton, Surrey.

The Ruddle family were owners of a large bakery in Sutton, and property developers in Sutton and Carshalton, Surrey

Frederick was by trade, a sign writer; Frederick and Lily left England initially for South Africa and subsequently for Australia, where they settled shortly before the first world war. They had eight children.

Frederick then took up an executive role for an Australia, Southeast Asia and South Sea Island trading company, Burns Philp, which took him to travel extensively in East Asia; it is presumably during the course of these travels that he had the opportunity to discover Chinese and East Asian Art, and start amassing his collection of snuff bottles, amongst other things. He was a passionate collector of many things beside snuff bottles, including Oceanic Art and Orientalia.

In 1978, the current vendor, a grandchild of Frederick, came to England to attend Cambridge university. At the time he was given power of attorney from the executors of the estate to assist in and arrange the sale of Frederick and Lily’s remaining real estate and properties in Sutton and Carshalton.

As thanks for his assistance, the executors, Molly and Hilda Ruddle, gave him the collection of snuff bottles, in 1980, which he lovingly preserved, researched, and added to over the years.