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 |
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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 created | July 3, 1998 |
Record URL |
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