Opaque white glass snuff bottle with painted decoration, China, 1796-1900

The bottle is a jar form with a slightly flared cylindrical neck and no stopper.
It is made of glass, opaque white, painted in the "famille rose" palette of green, yellow, purple, pink, blue, brown and black.
The decoration depicts a lady playing a zither in a tent, with two children and a table with a teapot and cups. There are trees with pink and yellow blossom growing from rocks.
The foot is straight and solid underneath.
The bottle has a Qinlong (1736-95) mark in red enamel seal script.

Given by Mrs W. G. Gulland

Given by Mrs. Julia C. Gulland, accessioned in 1907. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.

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.

686-1907