Snuff Bottle thumbnail 1
Snuff Bottle thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Snuff Bottle

1750-1895 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Snuff is powdered tobacco, usually blended with aromatic herbs or spices. The habit of snuff-taking spread to China from the West during the 17th century and became established in the 18th century. People generally carried snuff in a small bottle. By the 20th century these bottles had become collectors' items, owing to the great variety of materials and decorative techniques used in their production.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Glass, semi-opaque white with bubbles, with overlay of red glass carved in relief
Brief description
Glass snuff bottle, semi-opaque white with bubbles, with overlay of red glass carved in relief, China, ca.19th century
Physical description
The bottle is a round flattened flask form with no stopper.
It is made of glass, semi-opaque white with bubbles, with overlay of red glass carved in relief.
The decoration depicts a qilin flying on a cloud over the sea from which rises a horn emblem; a bixie stands on a rock from which pine and magic fungus grow. On the reverse there is a lion standing on a rock looking down at a horse prancing over water beneath pine. A ruyi sceptre rises from the waves.
The horse probably represents the dragon-horse which emerged from the waters of the Yellow River bearing the diagram which enabled the Engineer-Emperor Yu to control the waters of the river (Needham, 1959, p.56).
Dimensions
  • Height: 5.3cm
Style
Credit line
Salting Bequest
Object history
Bequeathed by Mr. George Salting, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Snuff is powdered tobacco, usually blended with aromatic herbs or spices. The habit of snuff-taking spread to China from the West during the 17th century and became established in the 18th century. People generally carried snuff in a small bottle. By the 20th century these bottles had become collectors' items, owing to the great variety of materials and decorative techniques used in their production.
Bibliographic reference
White, Helen. Snuff Bottles from China. London: Bamboo Publishing Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1992. 291p., ill. ISBN 1870076109.
Collection
Accession number
C.1557-1910

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Record createdJuly 3, 1998
Record URL
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