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Snuff bottle

Snuff bottle

  • Place of origin:

    China (made)

  • Date:

    1750-1915 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    [Snuff bottle] Bloodstone with veining of green and black
    [Stopper] Heliotrope, set in metal

  • Credit Line:

    H. L. Florence Bequest

  • Museum number:

    C.1230:1 to 3-1917

  • 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

[Snuff bottle] The bottle is a flattened flask form, curving inwards at the base. It is made of bloodstone, dark red with veining of black and green. A high slightly splayed foot, the underside is glued to the stand. The shape and colour provide the decorative interest.
[Stopper] Dome-shaped, made of black heliotrope set in metal.
[Stand] Brass and ebonized metal with an interlocking lattice and bead decoration.

Place of Origin

China (made)

Date

1750-1915 (made)

Artist/maker

unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

[Snuff bottle] Bloodstone with veining of green and black
[Stopper] Heliotrope, set in metal

Dimensions

Height: 5.2 cm

Object history note

Both the stand and the metal plug on the stopper, which has no housing for a spoon, suggest that this was a display piece, although it may have been used for storing snuff before it became simply an ornament.

Descriptive line

Chinese snuff bottle, bloodstone and heliotrope, in the form of a flask, Qing Dynasty, 1750-1915.

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.

Production Note

The original register entry states that the mount is European (despite the Chinese lattice motif).

Materials

Metal; Brass; Bloodstone; Heliotrope

Subjects depicted

Lattice

Categories

Containers; Personal accessories

Collection code

EAS

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Qr_O8686
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