Two Chinese red overlay snowstorm glass snuff bottles Qing dynasty, 1780-1850 and 1800-1880 The first, finely carved with a dragon-creature and his toad attendant walking on breaking waves amongst billowing clouds, the reverse with a dwelling surging from the waves under a pine tree issuing from the rocky shore, 6cm high without stopper; the second carved with a sage being served wine by his boy attendant in a pine and bamboo grove, 5.3cm high without stopper (2). 一七八零 - 一八五零 一八零零 - 一八八零 雪霏地套紅料鼻煙壺兩件 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.