Snuff Bottle
1750-1909 (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 | Jasper with carved decoration |
| Brief description | Scu, China, carving, jasper |
| Physical description | The bottle is a flattened flask form, curving inwards slightly at shoulder and base. It is made of jasper, dark red with yellow and grey markings and a dark brown skin, with carved decoration. The carving depicts a bird of prey, perhaps an eagle, on a rock. The bottle has a faceted foot with an indentation underneath. The brown skin is used for the carving of the eagle, and the rock is also carved in relief; there is no background carving. A heavy bottle in relation to its size. |
| 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.1712-1910 |
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| Record created | August 4, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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