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Snuff bottle

Snuff bottle

  • Place of origin:

    China (made)

  • Date:

    1800-1850 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Carved chalcedony, with a stopper of gilded metal inset with small pieces of purple kingfisher feather

  • Credit Line:

    Salting Bequest

  • Museum number:

    C.1755&A-1910

  • Gallery location:

    China, room 44, case 65

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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 small oblong flattened flask form with shoulders sloping up to a short cylindrical neck. It is made of chalcedony, grey with dark brown inclusions.
The stopper is of gilded metal with small pieces of purple kingfisher feather inset and floral motifs radiating from the centre.
The decoration depicts a galloping horseman holding a banner in one hand; the banner bears the character ling.
The foot has an indentation underneath.
This bottle is an excellent example of the use of inclusions in a 'silhouette' technique, producing vivid and expressive pictorial decoration. The decoration may represent the phrase Ma shang ping an meaning 'Immediate peace' or 'Immediate report that all is well' (Zhongguo Jixiang Tu'an, [Chinese auspicious emblems], (reprint of 1927 edition published in Tianjin, Gu Ting Shu Shu, 1978).

Place of Origin

China (made)

Date

1800-1850 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Carved chalcedony, with a stopper of gilded metal inset with small pieces of purple kingfisher feather

Dimensions

Height: 4.4 cm

Descriptive line

Snuff bottle, carved chalcedony, China, first half of 19th century.

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

Metal; Chalcedony; Feather

Techniques

Gilding

Subjects depicted

Men; Banner; Horse (animal)

Categories

Containers; Personal accessories; Images Inline

Collection code

EAS

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Qr_O8627
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