Chinese Perfume Bottle with Fish Motif

A fish, caught in clear crystal, scales and all.

Chinese craftsmen of Hebei Province made this perfume bottle in rock crystal in the 19th century. Small scent and snuff bottles of carved stone were commonly collected and carried in China. The bottle takes the form of a plump fish with a rounded head, a fan-like tail curled to one side, and a back crosshatched with fine scales. The crystal is clear to smoky gray, with a gentle, polished glow. Small fins sit near the base.

About three inches long. It looks as if it just surfaced.