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Snuff bottle

Snuff bottle

  • Place of origin:

    Tibet (made)

  • Date:

    1800-1900 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Seed or wood, mounted with silver and set with coral, malachite and possibly carnelian

  • Credit Line:

    Salting Bequest

  • Museum number:

    C.1584-1910

  • 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

[Snuff bottle] The bottle is a flattened oblong shape with rounded ends and is made from either a seed or wood, mounted in silver and set with malachite and possibly carnelian. The silver mounts run around the edge of the bottle and cover the shoulders and the neck where they are set with stones in a formal flower and leaf pattern. The sliver mounts have a beaded and plaited rope decoration.
The bottle does not have a foot and does not stand upright.
The decoration is of an Asian style and the neck has a screw fitting with a silver spoon.
[Stopper] The stopper is bulbous with a finial.

Place of Origin

Tibet (made)

Date

1800-1900 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Seed or wood, mounted with silver and set with coral, malachite and possibly carnelian

Dimensions

Height: 6.3 cm

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.

Production Note

The orignal register entry describes the bottle as having been made in Tibet in the nineteenth century.

Materials

Silver; Coral; Carnelian; Malachite

Subjects depicted

Flower; Leaf; Rope

Categories

Containers; Personal accessories

Collection code

EAS

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Qr_O9130
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