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Snuff bottle

Snuff bottle

  • Place of origin:

    China (made)

  • Date:

    1850-1909 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Glass, opaque white, with overlay of blue glass carved in relief and a pink stopper, probably made of glass

  • Credit Line:

    Salting Bequest

  • Museum number:

    C.1571-1910

  • 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 baluster form a with a flared neck and graduated stopper with a finial.
It is made of glass, opaque white, with overlay of blue glass carved in relief. The stopper is made of a pink material, probably glass.
The decoration depicts a continuous design of a panther stting in a prunus tree, two pairs of birds, possibly magpies, rocks, magic fungus and an inscription, 'Ziyun xie, 'Designed by Ziyun', with a seal 'Yu. There is a ring of overlay around the neck.
The foot is formed by a thin ring of overlay , with shallow indentation underneath.
The glass is carved in low relief. This is a 'seal-type' bottle, in the style known to collectors as 'Yangzhou School'. The panther (bao) is often combined with magpies (xi) as bao also means 'to announce' or 'to herald' and xi 'joy' or 'pleasure'. The name Ziyun appears in a seal form on another seal-type bottle in the collection (C.1570-1910), and may be a name of the person who designed , and perhaps carved , both bottles. Yu is possibly another of his names.

Place of Origin

China (made)

Date

1850-1909 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Glass, opaque white, with overlay of blue glass carved in relief and a pink stopper, probably made of glass

Marks and inscriptions

Ziyun xie 'Designed by Ziyun',
Yu

Dimensions

Height: 6.8 cm

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

Bird; Rock; Magic fungus; Prunus; Panther; Magpie

Categories

Containers; Personal accessories

Collection code

EAS

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Qr_O8266
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