Snuff Bottle
1723-1795 (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 | |
| Brief description | Cer, China, Qing, glass Cer, China, Qing, glass |
| Physical description | The bottle is a flattened faceted form. It has a three-part dome-shaped stopper with a knob. It is probably made of glass, tawny brown with dark brown veining. The stopper is of yellow glass, brown glass and white glass in the shape of a seed pearl. The surfaces are of a smooth matt texture rather than being highly polished and glossy. The bottle has a flat hexagonal base and no foot. Mineralogical analysis of this bottle does not show a correlation with any natural substance, and therefore it is believed to be made of glass. If so, it is a very sophisticated imitation of stone and is unusual in having a matt rather than highly polished surface. |
| 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.1724&A-1910 |
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| Record created | July 29, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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