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Snuff bottle

Snuff bottle

  • Place of origin:

    China (made)

  • Date:

    1821-1850 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    [Snuff bottle] Porcelain with gilding and painted decoration in enamel colours
    [Stopper] Coloured glass

  • Credit Line:

    Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street

  • Museum number:

    4836&STOPP-1901

  • Gallery location:

    On Display

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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 pear form. It is made of porcelain, painted in green, black, grey, yellow, red, purple, pink and white with gilded details
The painted decoration depicts three butterflies and plants, perhaps cabbage. On the reverse there are two butterflies and plants.
The bottle does not have a foot or a base.
The butterfly wings are drawn and coloured with considerable detail.
[Stopper] A two-part dome-shaped stopper. It is made of blue glass and glass coloured pink to imitate rose quartz.
The stopper does not fit well and is probably a replacement made before the bottle was registered by the museum in 1901.

Place of Origin

China (made)

Date

1821-1850 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

[Snuff bottle] Porcelain with gilding and painted decoration in enamel colours
[Stopper] Coloured glass

Dimensions

[Snuff bottle] Height: 6.1 cm

Descriptive line

Chinese snuff bottle, porcelain with gilding, painted decoration depicts three butterflies and plants, Qing Dynasty; 1821-1850.

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

Porcelain; Enamel; Glass

Techniques

Painting (image-making); Gilding

Subjects depicted

Plants; Butterfly

Categories

Containers; Ceramics; Personal accessories

Collection code

EAS

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Qr_O8828
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