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Snuff bottle

Snuff bottle

  • Place of origin:

    China (made)

  • Date:

    1723-1880 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Green glass flecked with red and black, with crackled glass stopper coloured green and set in metal

  • Credit Line:

    Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology

  • Museum number:

    5355-1901

  • Gallery location:

    In Storage

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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.

Physical description

The bottle is a heart-shaped flattened flask form made of glass, green flecked with black and red.
The dome-shaped stopper is of shattered glass stained green and set in metal.
The bottle has a flat base without a foot.

Place of Origin

China (made)

Date

1723-1880 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Green glass flecked with red and black, with crackled glass stopper coloured green and set in metal

Dimensions

Height: 5.4 cm

Descriptive line

Glass snuff bottle, green flecked with red and black, with stopper of green crackled glass set in metal, China, 1723-1880

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

White, Helen. Snuff Bottles from China. London: Bamboo Publishing Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1992. 291p., ill. ISBN 1870076109.

Materials

Glass; Metal; Crackle glass

Categories

Containers; Personal accessories; Glass

Collection code

EAS

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Qr_O7879
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