Snuff Bottle
1850-1900 (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 | Moulded porcelain with painted decoration |
| Brief description | Chinese snuff bottle, Qing Dynasty; 1850-1900, porcelain with painted decoration. |
| Physical description | The bottle is an oblong flattened flask form with rounded shoulders and curving inwards at the base. It does not have a stopper. It is made of porcelain, painted in green, purple and yellow, moulded as a perforated outer casing and inner body. The decoration depicts nine dragons chasing pearls amid leafy stems and clouds. The high foot has a high indentation underneath. This sort of fake famille verte colouring is characteristic of the late nineteenth century. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Boone Bequest |
| Object history | Bequeathed by Mr. Thomas Boone, per Mrs. Temple (24 Ulster Place, Regents Park.), accessioned in 1903. 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 | 915-1903 |
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| Record created | September 4, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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