Snuff Bottle
1800-1895 (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 | |
Materials and techniques | Carved agate with a stopper of coloured glass |
Brief description | Scu, China, carving, agate |
Physical description | The bottle is an oblong flattened flask form curving inwards slightly at the base and with shoulders sloping up into a short wide cylindrical neck. It has a flat-topped stopper. It is made of agate, with markings of white, grey, yellowish brown and pinkish red. The stopper is of translucent lime-green coloured glass. It has a large flat oval base with no foot. The decorative effect of the bottle lies solely in the natural markings of the stone. The oblong shape suggests a nineteenth-century date. |
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. |
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.1863-1910 |
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Record created | July 30, 1998 |
Record URL |
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