Small bottle, porcelain painted in underglaze blue and red, Qing dynasty, early 19th century

The bottle is a cylindrical form with shoulders sloping to a narrow neck and a flat stopper.
It is made of porcelain, painted in underglaze blue and red. The stopper is made of brown horn.
The decoration depicts an emperor or nobleman holding an audience.
There is no separate foot and an unglazed indentation underneath.
There is nothing about the bottle itself that suggests it was made specifically to hold snuff, but its horn stopper has a cork and ivory spoon attached. It is impossible to tell when it became a snuff bottle.

Salting Bequest

Bequeathed by Mr. George Salting, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.

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.1707&A-1910