Snuff Bottle
1800-1900 (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.
|
| Materials and techniques | Seed pot, mounted with silver and set with semi-precious stones |
| Brief description | Woo, China, carving, wood Woo, China, carving, wood |
| Physical description | Snuff bottle of oblong shape, made from dark-coloured seed pod, mounted in silver and set with colour stones, possibly coral, malachite and carnelian. Stopper attached to the bottle by a screw fitting. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Salting Bequest |
| Object history | 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. |
| Production | The orignal register entry describes the bottle as having been made in Tibet in the nineteenth century. |
| 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 | C.1584-1910 |
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| Record created | September 26, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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