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Snuff bottle

Snuff bottle

  • Place of origin:

    China (made)

  • Date:

    1736-1795 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Porcelain, decorated with coloured glazes

  • Credit Line:

    Given by W. G. Gulland, Esq.

  • Museum number:

    289-1905

  • Gallery location:

    In Storage

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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.

Physical description

The bottle is a Meiping vase form, with a cut down neck and the rim ground to a smooth surface. It does not have a stopper.
It is made of porcelain, streaked with red, blue and brown glazes.
It does not have a separate foot, the base is unglazed at the edge and there is a high glazed indentation underneath.
The only evidence that this could have been adapted for use as a snuff bottle is the neck-rim, which has been ground to a flat surface.

Place of Origin

China (made)

Date

1736-1795 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Porcelain, decorated with coloured glazes

Dimensions

Height: 10.0 cm

Descriptive line

Chinese snuff bottle, 1736-1795, Qing dynasty; porcelain, decorated with coloured glazes.

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

White, Helen. Snuff Bottles from China. London: Bamboo Publishing Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1992. 291p., ill. ISBN 1870076109.

Materials

Porcelain

Techniques

Glazing (coating); Grinding

Categories

Containers; Personal accessories

Collection code

EAS

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Qr_O9043
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