Snuff Bottle
1736-1795 (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 | |
| Materials and techniques | Opaque yellow glass, with decoration carved in relief |
| Brief description | Opaque yellow glass snuff bottle, with decoration carved in relief, China, 1736-1795 |
| Physical description | The bottle is a rounded slightly flattened flask form with no stopper. It is made of glass, opaque yellow, with decoration carved in relief. The decoration consists of bands of formal stylized decoration. There are scrolling dragons around the middle, a scrolling floral motif in the top section and masks and mock ring handles on each shoulder. Also, a petal and dot border around the bottom. The receding foot has an angular indentation underneath. The monochrome carving and formal decoration suggest a relatively early date. The bottle may relate to a Qianlong (1736-95) carved yellow monochrome bowl (C.677-1936) which was acquired by the Museun as part of the same gift. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Wilfred Buckley Collection |
| 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 | C.693-1936 |
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| Record created | July 16, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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