Snuff Bottle
1780-1895 (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
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Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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Brief description | Scu, China, carving, chalcedony |
Physical description | The bottle is a flattened flask form, with sloping shoulders, curving inwards at the base. It has a dome-shaped stopper made of green glass. The bottle is made of chalcedony, greyish white with a white skin, with decoration carved in relief. The carved decoration depicts two horses, the upper one with a hoof raised and its head turned to one side; the lower one with its head lowered to graze or drink. The high angular foot has an angular indentation underneath. The white skin is carved in relief to form the two horses; the background stone has a very small amount of carving to suggest the ground beneath the horses' feet. |
Dimensions |
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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. |
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.1950&A-1910 |
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Record created | July 24, 1998 |
Record URL |
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