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
Snuff bottle of rock crystal, painted on the inside. Coral stopper.
[Snuff bottle] Snuff bottle, squarish flattened flask form with a short, wide cylindrical neck and a dome-shaped stopper. Made of rock crystal, painted on the inside in blue, red, white and black. Decoration depicts a scene from the ballet The White Haired Girl' and an inscription describing the scene. On the reverse there is another scene from the ballet. The foot has an angular indentation underneath.
[Stopper] Dome-shaped stopper. Made of coral set in a metal mount which has a twisted rope decoration.
Place of Origin
(made)
Tibet (perhaps, made)
Date
1966-1974 (made)
Artist/maker
Unknown (production)
Materials and Techniques
Rock crystal, painted on the inside and coral stopper
Dimensions
Height: 6.4 cm
Object history note
Decoration is derived from one of the few ballets officially sanctioned by the Cultural Revolution. It is an example of the way some traditional crafts were fostered as patriotic activities and allowed to continue within the prevailing ideology. The continued production of snuff bottles in a Communist ideological context is particularly interesting, since they might have been expected to stand as a cipher for the luxury and decadence of the Qing dynasty, or for the subjection of Chinese crafts to Western imperialist influences. The stopper may have come from inner-Asia, perhaps Tibet.
'Fine Chinese Snuffbottles' Sotheby's 11th October 1974, lot 83: 'Fine Chinese Snuff Bottles including the Collection of Eric Young III'Sotheby's 24th April 1989, lot 146
Descriptive line
Snuff bottle, rock crystal, the decoration depicts a scene from the ballet The White Haired Girl', China, ca.1970
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.
Production Note
Peking or Shandong, CHINA
Materials
Metal; Coral; Rock crystal
Techniques
Painted; Painting (image-making)
Subjects depicted
Men; Costume; Women; Figures (representations); Ballet; Dancers; Communism; Uniforms; Scripts (writing)
Categories
Containers; Ceramics; Personal accessories; Glass; Clothing; Politics; 20thC_load
Collection code
EAS
