Snuff Bottle thumbnail 1
Snuff Bottle thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Snuff Bottle

1750-1880 (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
Transparent glass with an overlay of red glass, carved in relief
Brief description
Snuff bottle, overlay glass, red on transparent white, elongated shape with plants motif
Physical description
The bottle is a narrow cylinder with sloping shoulders and no stopper.
It is made from transparent glass with an overlay of red glass carved in relief.
The decoration depicts rocks and plants, including bamboo.
The foot is splayed with an indentation underneath.
Dimensions
  • Height: 8.1cm
  • Diameter: 2.3cm
Style
Object history
Purchased from Professor Lessing (Kunstgewerbe Museum Berlin), accessioned in 1880. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Bought, Kunstgewerbe Museum Berlin per Prof Lessing
Production
The original register entry made in 1880 when the bottle was acquired from the Kunstgewerbe Museum in Berlin states that the bottle was made in the Qianlong period (1736-1795). This bottle could be relatively early, given the unusual shape and comparison with the cylindrical monochrome glass bottle (C.1686-1910) . It may be that this shape was used before the more common flattened flask and baluster forms became standard.
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
438-1880

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Record createdJune 19, 1998
Record URL
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