Snuff Bottle
1662-1722 (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 | |
Materials and techniques | Porcelain, with painted decoration in underglaze blue on a crackled white ground |
Brief description | Chinese snuff bottle, 1662-1722, Qing dynasty; porcelain, with painted decoration in underglaze blue depicting three lions playing with a ball. |
Physical description | The bottle is a cylindrical form, with a short splayed neck and no stopper. It is made of porcelain, painted in underglaze blue on a crackled white ground. The decoration depicts three lions playing with a brocaded ball, amid clouds and flames. It is enclosed by one line at the base and two at the neck. Around the neck the character for three, san, appears three times, enclosed by the a further line at the top. The low receding foot has an indentation underneath. |
Dimensions |
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Style | |
Credit line | Andrew Burman Gift |
Object history | Given by Mr. Andrew Burman, accessioned in 1907. 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. |
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 | 830-1907 |
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Record created | September 26, 1998 |
Record URL |
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