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Snuff bottle

Snuff bottle

  • Place of origin:

    China (made)

  • Date:

    1821-1860 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Chalcedony with carved decoration

  • Credit Line:

    Salting Bequest

  • Museum number:

    C.1600-1910

  • 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 flattened wide bulbous form with short flared neck and no stopper.
It is made of chalcedony, yellowish-grey, with carved decoration.
The decoration depicts a pine tree and bamboo, enclosed in an ogee-shaped panel. On the reverse there is a pine tree and a pavilion enclosed in a similar panel.
The low foot is solid underneath.
The enclosure of the decoration in a ogee-shaped panel and the shape of the bottle suggest that it was made during the Daoguang period (1821-50) or slightly later.

Place of Origin

China (made)

Date

1821-1860 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Chalcedony with carved decoration

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

Chalcedony

Techniques

Carving

Subjects depicted

Bamboo; Pavilion; Pine

Categories

Containers; Personal accessories

Collection code

EAS

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Qr_O8422
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