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 | |
| Materials and techniques | Copper with cloisonné enamel decoration |
| Brief description | Chinese snuff bottle, 1796-1850, Qing dynasty; copper with cloisonné enamel decoration depicting a lotus flower. |
| Physical description | The bottle is a broad heart-shaped flattened flask form curving to a narrow base. It is made of copper with cloisonné enamel decoration in light blue, dark blue, pink, red, yellow, black and white; brass rims and masks. The decoration depicts a stylized lotus flower with tendrils in colours on a light blue ground; same design on the reverse; scale pattern border in copper wire around the neck; masks on the shoulders with holes for hanging. High straight foot with high indentation underneath. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Witting Bequest |
| 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 | M.62-1934 |
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| Record created | September 26, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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