Snuff Bottle thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Snuff Bottle

1750-1895 (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.

  • Snuff Bottle
  • Stopper
Brief description
Scu, China, carving, jade

Scu, China, carving, jade
Physical description
The bottle is an oval flattened flask form with a two-part dome-shaped stopper.
It is made of chalcedony, pink, with an inclusion on one side of white stone edged with brown, in a shape resembling a bottle gourd. The stopper of coral and pale blue glass or ceramics.
The high foot has a high indentation underneath.
The decorative interest lies in the natural colouring of the stone and the elegant shape of the bottle. The stopper incorporates half a coral bead; the hole previously drilled through the centre of the whole bead is visible on either side of the stopper.
Dimensions
  • Height: 6.3cm
Style
Credit line
Salting Bequest
Object history
Bequeathed by Mr. George Salting, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
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.1613&A-1910

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Record createdJuly 20, 1998
Record URL
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