Snuff bottle, rock crystal, China, 1821-1850
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1821-1850
People generally carried snuff in a small bottle. The bottle is a heart-shaped flattened flask form with short cylindrical splayed neck. It does not have a stopper. It is made of rock crystal, with decoration carved in shallow relief. The decoration conisists of a stylised formal foliage enclosed within a heart-shaped panel on the front and reverse of the bottle and no foot.
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.
Historical context
Bequeathed by Mr. George Salting, accessioned in 1910. The carving is related to the Moghul style which became a court taste after the flow into China of jades carved in North India began in 1756.
Since private workshops in Suzhou, Yangzhou and other centres carried out commissions for the court it is likely that the fashion for Moghul carving became more widespread. The fashion continued into the nineteenth century. The decoration on this bottle is strikingly similar to that seen on ceramic 'medallion' bowls dating from the Daoguang period (1821-1850).
In shape and layout it is similar to the porcelain bottle from Captain Colvile's watercolour album of items sent back to England from China between 1857 and 1860. The coincidence of these features suggests that it was made during the Daoguang period.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Rock crystal carved in shallow relief
- Dimensions
- Height: 5.7 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-O8750
- Museum object name
- Snuff bottle
- Holding institution
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Museum object number
- C.1628-1910
- Museum system number
- O8750
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.