Snuff Bottle
ca. 1750 (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 | Porcelain, moulded in relief, with painted decoration and gilding |
Brief description | Chinese snuff bottle, porcelain moulded in relief, painted decoration depicts the underside of a lotus flower, Qing Dynasty; ca. 1750. |
Physical description | The bottle is a round flattened flask form without a stopper. It is made of porcelain, moulded in relief and painted in pink, green, blue, yellow and black with gilding. The decoration depicts the underside of a lotus flower, with a butterfly. On the reverse there is a the underside of a lotus leaf with a butterfly. The neck of the bottle is in the form of a thick stem. On one shoulder are slender stems bound by ribbons which stream accross both sides of the bottle. The foot is in the form of a lotus pod and the base is integrated into the design of the bottle. |
Dimensions |
|
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. |
Production | The quality of the enamelling, the modelling and the extensive gilding (now largely worn) indicate a mid-eighteenth century date. |
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.1700-1910 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
Record created | August 12, 1998 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest