Snuff bottle, agate, China, 1730-1820
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1730-1820
People generally carried snuff in a small bottle. The bottle is a tall flattened oblong bottle with slightly convex sides and a very short cylindrical neck. It does not have a stopper. It is made of agate, tawny yellow and grey with a patch of red, with decoration carved in relief. The decoration depicts two birds, one shown from the underside, in a pine tree, and a bat.
On the reverse there is a monkey on a horse holding a flowering branch with a flowering tree above. The circular foot has an angular indentation underneath. The red patch is used for the carving of the bat, reinforcing it's auspicious character. The Chinese word for bat, fu , sounds the same as the word for good fortune, so bats are often used to express a wish for good fortune; red is a particularly lucky colour, much used for wedding dress and paraphernalia.
Bequeathed by Arthur Wells, accessioned in 1882.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Agate carved in relief
- Dimensions
- Height: 6.5 cm
Technical characteristics
- Place recorded
- China
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London collection record for this single object (sentences kept verbatim apart from removed sale or rarity wording); how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Candidate id
- vam-O8644
- Museum object name
- Snuff bottle
- Holding institution
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Museum object number
- 1627-1882
- Museum system number
- O8644
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and dating against a specialist reference; this entry documents one recorded example.