Snuff bottle, 1750-1909 (C.1681-1910)

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.

The bottle is a flattened oval flask form without a stopper. It is made from glass, opaque white, with an overlay of black glass carved in relief. The decoration consists of two fish on each side, a crab on each shoulder, and a continuous border of waves around the base. The bottle does not have a foot but sits, instead, in cradle of swirling waves formed by the black glass overlay. The contrast of black on white produces a striking effect.