Snuff bottle, China, 1760-1812
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1760-1812
Snuff bottle, China, 1760-1812 is an object recorded by Victoria and Albert Museum, dated 1760-1812. The museum's brief description reads: Scu, China, carving, jade. Museum description: The bottle is an oval flattened flask form with shoulders sloping up to a long cylindrical neck. It has a hinged bulbous stopper. The bottle is made from nephrite jade, dark green, with decoration carved in relief, gold mounts and a gold stopper. The decoration depicts a grasshopper on a lotus leaf and on the reverse a grasshopper on perhaps millet. The metal mounts are moulded in the form of millet or corn and the foot is formed by metal mount. Engraved with 'G. R. Sandoz' and inscribed '2506' there is also an eagle's head warranty mark. This old jade snuff bottle was embellished with gold mounts in Paris at the workshop of G. R. Sandoz some time after Gustave Roger Sandoz succeeded his father Gustave in the family business in 1891, probably for use as a scent bottle. The museum record gives material recorded as jade, gold; measurements Height 6.0 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
- jade, gold
- Dimensions
- Height 6.0 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Nephrite jade, with decoration carved in relief and with gold mounts and stopper
- Place recorded
- China
Identification
- Museum object name
- Snuff bottle
- Museum object number
- C.1278-1917
- Museum system number
- O7525
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 holding institution and a specialist reference.