Snuff Bottle
1750-1909 (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 | |
| Materials and techniques | Opaque white glass with overlays of pink and dark green glass, and an amethyst stopper |
| Brief description | Snuff bottle, opaque white glass with overlays of pink and dark green glass with amethyst stopper, China, ca.19th century |
| Physical description | The bottle is an oval flattened flask form with shoulders sloping up to a long cylindrical neck. It is made of glass, opaque white, with overlays of pink glass and dark green glass carved in relief. The stopper is flat-topped and made of amethyst. The carved relief decoration depicts flowering plants and on the reverse a lotus. The high foot is formed by both overlays, with an indentation underneath. The pink overlay is used for the flowers and the green overlay is placed over it to depict leaves. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| 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. |
| 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 | C.1575-1910 |
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| Record created | June 18, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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