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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
  • Height: 6.0cm
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.
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 createdJune 17, 1998
Record URL
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