Snuff Bottle
1796-1850 (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 | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Brief description | Chinese snuff bottle, Qing dynasty; 1796-1850; porcelain with decoration in coloured enamels. |
| Physical description | The bottle is shaped in the form of a squirrel clutching a vine and has a cone-shaped stopper. It is made of porcelain with a creamy white glaze and green, turquoise, purple, gold and black enamel colours. The stopper is made of metal and is decorated with two creatures, perhaps squirrels. The neck of the bottle is coloured gold in imitation of a metal collar. There is no foot and the bottle does not stand upright. The colours and detailing of the enamels indicate a Jiaqing (1796-1820) or Daoguang (1821-50) date. |
| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by W. G. Gulland, Esq. |
| Object history | Given by Mr. W. G. Gulland, accessioned in 1905. 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 | 150&STOPP-1905 |
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| Record created | September 7, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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