Chinese snuff bottle, 1796-1850, Qing dynasty; porcelain, with painted decoration in underglaze blue depicting four lions playing with a ball.

The bottle is a squarish flattened flask form, with shoulders sloping to a broad neck and a dome-shaped stopper.
It is made of porcelain, painted in underglaze blue; the stopper of porcelain coloured orange to imitate coral and gold to imitate metal.
The decoration depicts four lions playing with a brocaded ball and there is a similar design on the reverse.
The low foot, continuous with the body, has a curved glazed indentation underneath containing the mark of a lion in blue.

Mrs A. Cameron Bequest

Bequeathed by Mrs. A. Cameron, accessioned in 1909. 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.

C.12&A-1909