Snuff Bottle
1780-1909 (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 | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Carved agate |
| Brief description | Scu, China, carving, agate Scu, China, carving, agate |
| Physical description | The bottle is a squarish flattened flask form. It has a gently domed stopper with sloping sides, with a cylindrical projection which fits into the opening of the neck. The bottle is made of agate, with banding of brown, yellow, grey and milky white. The stopper is of agate with banding of brown, yellow and white. The angular foot has an angular indentation underneath. The decorative quality of the bottle lies in the natural markings and colours of the agate. The stopper is ill-fitting and must be a replacement. |
| 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.1891-1910 |
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| Record created | July 30, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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