Snuff Bottle
1800-1900 (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
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Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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Materials and techniques | Overlay carved glass |
Brief description | Snuff bottle, overlay carved glass, China, Qing dynasty, 19th century |
Physical description | Snuff bottle, oval flattened flask with cylindrical neck made of white-tinged transparent glass with an overlay of carved red glass. Decorated with a catfish on its back on a lotus leaf, with a lotus pod and flower. Similar design on reverse; lotus bud and a small fish on one shoulder, lotus leaf on the other shoulder. Small flat oval base overlaid with a large radiating lotus leaf. Dome-shaped coral stopper set in gilded metal. |
Dimensions |
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Style | |
Gallery label |
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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. The Chinese word for fish, yu, makes a pun on the word for overflowing abundance, the word for catfish, nian, on the word for year, and the word for lotus, lian, on the word for continuous or successive. He bao, meaning 'lotus parcel' or 'lotus enwrapped', is also a sort of purse. Therefore the bottle carries a wish for wealth and prosperity for many years to come.;; |
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. pp. 190-191, plate 87. |
Collection | |
Accession number | C.1639&A-1910 |
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Record created | June 30, 1998 |
Record URL |
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