Snuff Bottle
1750-1895 (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 | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Brief description | Scu, China, carving, jade Scu, China, carving, jade |
| Physical description | The bottle is a flattened circular flask form, with a slightly flared neck and a dome-shaped stopper. It is made of nephrite jade, dark green mottled with small light green and black patches. The stopper is of coral set in gilded metal. There is a circular panel carved in relief on each side of the bottle and the decorative lug handles are concave. The high splayed foot has a high indentation underneath. The symmetrical formal shape provides the decorative interest; perhaps meant to represent an antique flask, like the moss agate bottle in the shape of a hu, C.1711-1910. |
| 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. |
| 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.1608&A-1910 |
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| Record created | July 20, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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