Chinese snuff bottle, 1821-1850, Qing Dynasty; porcelain with painted decoration depicting nine of the Eighteen Lohan.

The bottle is an oblong flattened flask form with a two-part dome-shaped stopper.
It is made of porcelain, painted in enamel colours, blue, pink, green, turquoise, red and black and gilded. The stopper is made of glass coloured pink to imitate rose quartz, and what is probably ivory.
The decoration depicts nine of the Eighteen Lohan on each side. Cursory masks and mock ring handles are depicted in blue and gold on the shoulders; gilding around the foot.
The foot, is unglazed at the edge, with glazed curved indentation underneath; Daogong (1821-50) mark in red seal-script.
The Eighteen Lohan were a popular subject for porcelain decoration in the Daoguang period.

Given by R. J. Charleston, Esq.

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.

C.18-1966