Description: 
A rare and very fine tortoise shell snuff bottle with possible attributed provenance to the famous army general of Late Qing dynasty , ZUO ZONGTANG, (born October 11th, 1812 - died September 5th, 1885). We conservatively date this snuff bottle to ca.1850. Dimensions: 2-3/8" tall, by approx. 1-1/8" wide and deep. Weight: 21.75 grams.

The impressive snuff bottle of imperial quality is completely encased in beautiful tortoise shell. The inner core is wood with the tortoise shell layered on top which are heat-fused. The mouth rim was carved from a single thicker section of the tortoise shell. The snuff bottle has beautiful inscriptions which are precisely carved in tight and very fine calligraphy and painted in gilt-see enlargements. There are 2 such carved inscriptions on 2 side panes.

One inscription reads "Zuo Zongtang zhen yong" meaning ZUO ZONGTANG'S TREASURE FOR HIS PERSONAL USE.

The other inscription reads "Hong shu tang cang" meaning GREAT BOOK OF HISTORY TANG COLLECTS.

As before mentioned, the quality of material and workmanship are exceptionally high, hence supporting the possibility of imperial origin.

History
General Zuo Zongtang (aka in the west as General Tso), who became a general and a statesman and is legendary as one of China's greatest military figures during the latter half of the 19th century.

Born into a well-connected, scholarly family, Zuo passed his preliminary civil-service examinations and devoted himself to geographic and agricultural studies. Around 1850, when the Taiping Rebellion began to spread through South China, Zuo helped organize local defense forces, and he soon became one of the top imperial commanders. By 1863 he was governor-general of Zhejiang and Fujian and one of the most powerful figures in China.

In 1867 he was made governor-general of Shaanxi and Gansu to quell the Muslim rebels there. Zuo slowly and systematically defeated the rebels, using a combination of effective taxation, encouragement of economic production, and Western technology. Following this campaign, he successfully argued in favour of attempting the reconquest of Chinese Central Asia (now the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang) from other Muslim rebels. Zuo helped finance and supply his troops by building his own arsenal and woolen mill and forcing his troops to grow grain and cotton in their spare time. He not only destroyed the rebels but also reestablished Chinese power so convincingly that China regained, by the Treaty of St. Petersburg in 1881, the important border passes that Russia had occupied during the Muslim rebellion. A sick old man, blind in one eye, Zuo was still not allowed to retire. In 1884 he was sent to South China and placed in charge of defenses in the war with France. He died soon after the peace settlement.

Condition: Very Fine, museum quality