Snuff Bottle
1760-1812 (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 | |
Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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Materials and techniques | |
Brief description | Scu, China, carving, jade |
Physical description | The bottle is of an oval flattened flask form in milky white nephrite jade with a three part stopper. The sides of the neck slope outwards into the shoulders. It is carved with a traveller on horseback and a servant in a rocky landscape with a cloud and an overhanging branch. On the reverse is a landscape of rocks and plants including pine. The bottle has no foot but a neatly carved flat base. It still contains snuff. |
Dimensions |
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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.1814&A-1910 |
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Record created | February 3, 1998 |
Record URL |
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