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 | Dark pink glass with an overlay of dark green glass carved in relief |
Brief description | Snuff bottle, dark pink glass with an overlay of dark green glass carved in relief, China, 1750-1895 |
Physical description | The bottle ia a rounded flattened flask form, the shoulders sloping up to a cylindrical neck without a stopper. It is made of glass, dark pink, with an overlay of dark green glass carved in relief. The decoration depicts a fish on its back amid waves, spouting a pavilion which rests on a cloud issuing from the fish's mouth; a crane flies towards the pavilion with a rod in its mouth. On the reverse, a different pavilion above waves, and a bat; on one shoulder a banana plant. The foot is formed by green overlay and there is a high indentation underneath. The decoration represents the saying 'One more counter for the pavilion by the sea' which refers to the three Taoists who counted their ages in geological periods and laid down a counter to mark each era; it conveys a wish for long life. |
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.1673-1910 |
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Record created | June 17, 1998 |
Record URL |
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