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 | Opaque white glass, with overlay of green glass carved in relief |
Brief description | Cer, China, Qing, GLASS, OVERLAY |
Physical description | The bottle is a rounded flattened flask form with no stopper. It is made of glass, opaque white, with overlay of green glass carved in relief. The decoration depicts a fish and a bubble above the waves, with lotus plants. The low foot is formed by overlay, with indentation underneath. The word for fish, yu, is a pun on the word for overflowing abundance, the word for catfish, nian, a pun on the word for year, and the word for lotus, lian, a pun on the word for continuous or successive, thus conveying a message of hope for prosperity in the coming years. |
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.1687-1910 |
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Record created | July 10, 1998 |
Record URL |
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