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
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Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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Materials and techniques | |
Brief description | Transparent glass snuff bottle, thickly flecked with white, with an overlay of red glass, China, 1750-1895 |
Physical description | The bottle is a flattened pear form, with a particularly wide neck hole and narrow neck walls. It us made of transparent glass, thickly flecked with white, with an overlay of red glass carved in relief. The stopper is a two-part dome-shape made of glass coloured blue to imitate lapis lazuli and red to imitate carnelian. The decoration depicts a continuous design of four chi dragons, one with its tongue out. The high foot with high angular indentation underneath is partly formed by the overlay. The carving is of good quality. |
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.1649&A-1910 |
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Record created | June 23, 1998 |
Record URL |
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