Snuff bottle
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1750-1895
This Chinese snuff bottle dates to the Qing dynasty, between 1750 and 1895, and was crafted by an unknown maker. It is formed as an oval, rounded flattened flask with shoulders that slope upwards to a narrow cylindrical neck ending in a splayed neckrim. The entire bottle measures 7.1 cm in height.
The body is made of opaque white glass decorated using an overlay carving technique. Overlays of red and dark green glass are carved in relief against the white ground. The composition features lotus flowers and a fish executed in red glass, superimposed by lotus leaves, stems, and pods worked in dark green glass. A similar arrangement appears on the reverse, accompanied by a continuous border of waves around the base and a footrim formed by dark green overlay with an indentation underneath. A band of red overlay encircles the neckrim, and the bottle is completed with a dome-shaped stopper made of pale green and white glass.
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 blended with aromatic herbs or spices. Snuff-taking spread to China from the West during the seventeenth century and became established in the eighteenth century, commonly carried in small bottles. This object entered the museum collection in 1910 as part of the bequest of George Salting.
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Snuff bottle
- Museum object number
- C.1537&A-1910
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.