Snuff Bottle
1821-1895 (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 overlay of blue and red glass |
Brief description | Opaque white glass snuff bottle, decorated with overlay of blue and red glass, China, 1821-1895 |
Physical description | The bottle is an oval flattened flask form, with a particularly wide neck in relation to the size of the bottle. The bottle does not have a stopper. It is made of glass, opaque white, with an overlay of blue and red glass. The decoration depicts a fenghuang (Chinese Phoenix) standing on rocks. On the reverse there is a dragon above waves with masks and mock ring handles on the shoulders, the details of the faces are well delineated. The low foot is formed by the red glass overlay, with indentation underneath. The dragon and phoenix are blue, the shoulder masks and the decoration around the base (waves below the dragon, changing to rocks below the phoenix) are red. The colours are deep and rich and the carving is of good quality. |
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.1527-1910 |
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Record created | July 14, 1998 |
Record URL |
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