Snuff bottle, lapis lazuli and coral, China, 1850-1895
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1850-1895
People generally carried snuff in a small bottle. The bottle is a rounded flattened flask form with sloping shoulders, curving to a narrow base It has a slightly flared neck with a dome-shaped stopper. The stopper has a deep curved mount. The bottle is made of lapis lazuli, with patches of grey and flecks of gold. the stopper is of coral set in gilded metal and the mount has close-set diagonal lines. The base is flat with indentation underneath.
The decorative appeal lies in the shape, and in the natural markings of the stone. The coral bead glued into the metal mount to form the stopper does not fit well and the stopper looks rather shoddy. A heavy bottle in relation to its size. Bequeathed by Mr. George Salting, accessioned in 1910.
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
- Lapis lazuli with a stopper made of a coral bead set in gilded metal
- Dimensions
- Height: 4.7 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-O8806
- Museum object name
- Snuff bottle
- Holding institution
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Museum object number
- C.1594-1910
- Museum system number
- O8806
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.