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, 1796-1850, Qing dynasty; porcelain, with painted decoration in underglaze blue depicting a five-clawed dragon. |
| Physical description | The bottle is a cylindrical form with a flat stopper. It is made of porcelain, painted in underglaze blue; the stopper of ivory inlaid with green glass, shell and black composition. The decoration depicts a five-clawed dragon chasing a flaming pearl above waves. There are bands of debased spearhead decoration around the shoulder. The low curved foot has an indentation underneath. |
| Style | |
| Credit line | Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology |
| Object history | Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology (Jermyn Street, London), accessioned in 1901. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Production | This bottle was transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology in Jermyn Street, which acquired few non-mineral objects after 1880. |
| 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 | 4835-1901 |
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| Record created | September 26, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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