Chinese snuff bottle, porcelain moulded in relief with an enamel skin, decoration depicts Taoist emblems and flowers, Qing Dynasty; 1796-1820.

The bottle is a flattened ovoid form with a flared neck and a flat-topped stopper.
It is made of porcelain, moulded in relief with a reticulated surface forming an outer casing over an inner body, and covered with blue enamel.
The flat upper surface of the neck-rim and the underside of the foot are gilded.
The stopper is made of jadeite jade set in silver.
The relief depicts Taoist emblems and flowers, perhaps gardenias, on a ground of cloud scrolls. There are lappet borders around the base and the shoulder and a key-fret border around the neck. On the underside of the neck-rim and around the foot there is a line of dots.
The foot is high with a curved indentation underneath.
The moulded decoration is almost identical to that on the red bottle C.1049-1917. This design is most common in red, which suggests it was inspired by the appearance of lacquer objects. However, it does appear in at least two shades of blue; this dark blue, reminiscent of lapis lazuli and a lighter blue perhaps intended to suggest a turquoise.

Given by W. G. Gulland, Esq.

Given by Mr. W. G. Gulland, accessioned in 1905. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.

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.

309&STOPP-1905