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Snuff bottle

Snuff bottle

  • Place of origin:

    China (made)

  • Date:

    1850-1895 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Glass, opaque white, with a thin overlay of black glass carved in relief

  • Credit Line:

    Salting Bequest

  • Museum number:

    C.1675-1910

  • 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, opaque white, with a thin overlay of black glass carved in relief.
The decoration depicts two birds, a branch of prunus and quasi-archaic seal-script characters.
On the reverse there is a squirrell on a vine and an inscription 'shi shang liu', 'Flowing over the rocks'.
The high foot is formed by black overlay, with indentation underneath.
A seal-type bottle of the sort often attributed to the so-called 'Yangzhou School'. There is brown powder, probably snuff, caked inside.

Place of Origin

China (made)

Date

1850-1895 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Glass, opaque white, with a thin overlay of black glass carved in relief

Marks and inscriptions

'shi shang liu' 'Flowing over the rocks'

Dimensions

Height: 5.7 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; Vine; Prunus; Squirrel

Categories

Containers; Personal accessories

Collection code

EAS

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Qr_O8275
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