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

Snuff Bottle

1750-1900 (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
Opaque white glass with an overlay of red glass, carved in relief
Brief description
Opaque white glass snuff bottle with an overlay of red glass, carved in relief, China, ca.19th century
Physical description
The bottle is a gourd form with no stopper.
It is made of opaque white glass with an overlay of red glass carved in relief.
The decoration consists of a continuous design of a flowering plant, bamboo, magic fungus, rocks and a bat.
The foot is formed by the overlay and it has an angular indentation underneath.
Dimensions
  • Height: 5.6cm
Style
Credit line
Boone Bequest
Object history
Bequeathed by Mr. Thomas Boone, per Mrs. Temple (24 Ulster Place, Regents Park.), accessioned in 1903. 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
923-1903

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Record createdJune 29, 1998
Record URL
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