Snuff Bottle
1850-1895 (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 | Amygdaloidal lava, with a stopper of azurite, malachite and pearl |
| Brief description | Chinese snuff bottle, amygdaloidal lava, azurite, malachite and pearl, flattened flask form, Qing Dynasty; 1850-1895. |
| Physical description | The bottle is a flattened flask form, broader at the shoulders than at the base, with a slightly splayed cylindrical neck. It has a dome-shaped stopper with a finial. The bottle is made of amygdaloidal lava, black with white, grey, green and salmon pink inclusions; the stopper of azurite, malachite and a pearl. The foot is angular with an elliptical indentation underneath. The decorative appeal lies in the natural markings of the stone. |
| 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.1596-1910 |
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| Record created | August 11, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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