Snuff Bottle
1975 (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 | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Cer, China, Qing, GLASS, INSIDE-PAINTED Cer, China, Qing, glass, inside-painted |
| Physical description | The bottle is an oval flattened flask form with a cylindrical expanding neck and a dome-shaped stopper. The bottle is made of glass, semi-opaque white, painted on the inside in shades of green, black, red, blue and yellow. The stopper is made of opaque yellow glass. The decoration depicts butterflies and chrysanthemums. On the reverse there is a pavilion amid trees, against a background of rocks and mountains, with flying birds. The high splayed foot is solid underneath. This object was acquired by the donor in China as new and is a 'tourist' item not intended for use. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Addis Gift |
| Object history | Acquired by the donor in China in 1975. |
| 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 | FE.57&A-1977 |
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| Record created | July 10, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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