Snuff Bottle thumbnail 1

Snuff Bottle

1796-1850 (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
Brief description
Chinese snuff bottle, 1796-1850, Qing dynasty; porcelain, with decoration in underglaze blue depicting dragons.
Style
Credit line
Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology
Object history
Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology (Jermyn Street, London), accessioned in 1901. 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.
Collection
Accession number
4839&A-1901

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Record createdSeptember 23, 1998
Record URL
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