Snuff Bottle thumbnail 1
Snuff Bottle thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
China, Room 44, The T.T. Tsui Gallery

Snuff Bottle

1736-1795 (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.

  • Snuff Bottle
  • Stopper
Materials and techniques
Brief description
Snuff bottle, blue glass inlaid with coloured stones and pearl, China, 1736-1795.
Physical description
The monochrome glass and the style of the decoration both suggest an eighteenth century date.
Dimensions
  • Height: 7.0cm
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.
Historical significance: This inlaid monochrome glass is comparable with inlaid ivory pieces datable to the eighteenth century.;;
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.1573&A-1910

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Record createdJune 11, 1998
Record URL
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