Snuff bottle, China, 1821-1850
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1821-1850
Snuff bottle, China, 1821-1850 is an object recorded by Victoria and Albert Museum, dated 1821-1850. The museum's brief description reads: Chinese snuff bottle, porcelain, depicting the Empress Wu Zetian, Qing, 1821-1850.. Museum description: The bottle is a cylindrical form made of porcelain and painted in enamel colours, green, red, yellow, blue, brown, black and pink. There is gilding on the flat upper surface of the neck rim and no stopper. The painted decoration depicts the Empress Wu Zetain from an illustration in Wu shuang pu, 'A Register of the Incomparable'. The inscription is a contracted version of her biography in that publication. The body of the bottle slops towards a sharp foot with a high curved indentation underneath. The museum record gives material recorded as porcelain, enamel; measurements Height 8.1 cm; place associated: China. These details come from the holding museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
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
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.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- porcelain, enamel
- Dimensions
- Height 8.1 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Porcelain painted in enamel colours, with gilding
- Place recorded
- China
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- Daoguang mark in red; A contracted version of the biography of the Empress Wu Zetain taken from the biography of her in Wu shuang pu, 'A Register of the Incomparable'.
Identification
- Museum object name
- Snuff bottle
- Museum object number
- 412-1903
- Museum system number
- O11866
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 materials, dimensions, maker and wider type against the museum record and a specialist reference.