Lapis lazuli carved melon butterfly snuff bottle

[Lapis lazuli carved melon butterfly snuff bottle]

Lapis lazuli carved melon butterfly snuff bottle, clear, 5.5 cm high
The smoking pot is made of lapis lazuli, which is of excellent quality, and has a pure dark blue color, with a slight gray and white plaque. The whole melon is carved in the shape of a melon. The melon body is carved with the texture of a melon ridge. A small melon, vines, branches and leaves are embossed on it. The melon leaves are rolled up, and a small beetle lies on the leaves. The lid of the pot is made of the same material, carved in the shape of a butterfly, with a copper-plated spoon underneath
In the Qing Dynasty, the designs with melon and butterfly as the theme were widely used in the court and among the people, known as “Guamian Mian”. Melon is a vine. Like gourd, it has the characteristics of strong fruit, many seeds and long vines. Especially, the big melon and small melon are knotted on the twining vines, which has the auspicious meaning of long generations and generations.