Snuff Bottle thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 137, The Curtain Foundation Gallery

Snuff Bottle

1920-1930 (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, with painted decoration and gilding
Brief description
Chinese snuff bottle, 1920-30, Qing dynasty; porcelain with painted decoration depicting peach sprays.
Physical description
The bottle is an oblong flattened flask form with rounded shoulders and curving in towards the base. It does not have a stopper.
It is made of porcelain, painted in red, blue, green and yellow and gilded.
The decoration depicts peach sprays. There are borders of scrolling foliage around the neck, and lappets and dots at the base; a line of gilding at the base of the neck and at the top of the foot.
The high receding foot has an indentation underneath; Qianlong (1736-95) mark in red regular script.
Dimensions
  • Height: 6.7cm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
Qianlong (base)
Credit line
W. G. Gulland Bequest
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
CIRC.710-1931

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Record createdSeptember 16, 1998
Record URL
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