Mior254- Chinese lac burgauté snuff bottle Qing dynasty

A Chinese Lac burgauté snuff bottle inlaid with abalone and gold foil with opposed floral motif panels surrounded by extremely fine tiny detailed geometric pattern. Molded atop an oval cartouche stand. The snuff bottle measures 2 3/4 inches high, 2 inches wide and 3/4 inches in thickness. Has an amber colored agate stopper. In superb condition with no missing inlay. Laque Burgauté, also spelled Lac Burgauté, is a East Asian decorative arts technique of decorating lacquer ware with inlaid designs employing shaped pieces of the iridescent blue-green shell of the sea-ear (Haliotis). This shell inlay, is sometimes engraved, and is often combined with gold and silver inlays. Workmanship is exquisitely small, therefore, laque burgauté is principally used to decorate such small-scale objects as tiny boxes, bottles and miniatures.