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Snuff bottle

Snuff bottle

  • Place of origin:

    China (made)

  • Date:

    1750-1895 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Transparent white glass, with overlay of blue glass carved in relief

  • Credit Line:

    Salting Bequest

  • Museum number:

    C.1545-1910

  • Gallery location:

    In Storage

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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.

Physical description

The bottle is a rounded flattened flask form with no stopper.
It is made of glass, transparent white with white flecks and bubbles, with overlay of blue glass carved in relief.
The decoration depicts a pavilion on a rock set above a bridge and water; bamboo and wutong or paulownia growing from the rocks. On the reverse there are three men on a boat sitting at a low table with cups. They are being rowed by a fourth towards the pavilion on the other side of the bottle.
The foot is formed by overlay, with angular indentation underneath.

Place of Origin

China (made)

Date

1750-1895 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Transparent white glass, with overlay of blue glass carved in relief

Dimensions

Height: 5.6 cm

Descriptive line

Glass snuff bottle, transparent white with overlay of blue glass carved in relief, China, ca.19th century

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

White, Helen. Snuff Bottles from China. London: Bamboo Publishing Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1992. 291p., ill. ISBN 1870076109.

Materials

Glass

Techniques

Carving

Subjects depicted

Men; Boats; Rock; Bamboo; Water; Bridges (built works); Pavilions (garden structures)

Categories

Containers; Personal accessories; Glass

Collection code

EAS

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Qr_O8240
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