Three Chinese overlay glass snuff bottles
Late Qing dynasty - 20th century
Comprising: a pink...

Three Chinese overlay glass snuff bottles

Late Qing dynasty - 20th century

Comprising: a pink overlay milky-white glass snuff bottle finely carved with carps,19th century, 6.2cm high without stopper; a burgundy red overlay milky-white glass bottle carved with pairs of mandarin ducks and lotus on either side, 4.7cm high without stopper; and a blue overlay translucent glass bottle carved with crab and algae to one side, and a phoenix and peony to the other, 5.6cm high without stopper, all with associated stoppers (3).

晚清 - 二十世紀 套料鼻煙壺三件

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.