Snuff Bottle
1723-1880 (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.
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Materials and techniques | Glass coloured in blue with flecked green, with crackled glass stopper coloured green and set in metal |
Brief description | Snuff bottle, glass, blue with flecked green, stopper of green crackled glass set in metal, China, 1723-1880 |
Physical description | The bottle is a heart-shaped flattened flask form with a dome-shaped stopper. The bottle is made of glass, blue flecked with dark green, perhaps imitating lapiz lazuli; the stopper of crackled glass stained green and set in metal. The base of the bottle is flat without a foot. |
Dimensions |
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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. Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street;; |
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 | 5364-1901 |
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Record created | June 10, 1998 |
Record URL |
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