Carved Amber Dragon Snuff Bottle
China, late 20th century
Sho’ nuff snuff stuff – the Art of Snuff
Made from powdered tobacco mixed with aromatic spices and herbs, snuff was introduced into China from Japan in the 17th Century. The inhalant had medicinal qualities and was initially transported in cylindrical bottles. As its popularity increased, so did the aesthetic of the vessels that it was carried in. There are references of medicinal “snuff” in the Indian traditional medical classic, Charaka Samhita, dating back to the 2nd Century AD.
Coveted by nobility and used by royalty, it was a symbol of social status in both the East and in Europe, hence the fine craftsmanship and quality of many snuff bottles and boxes, which were often exchanged as gifts on special occasions. Precious materials like amber, lapis lazuli, jade, amethyst and fine porcelains were utilized and despite being compact, with a maximum size of around 3 inches, detailed landscapes and scenes were a common decorative feature.
Chinese Inside painted glass snuff bottle with a gathering of females
The refinement of the miniature art eventually included interior painting where the bottles were painted from the inside, with little compromise on the detail and were quite often represented with traditional good luck symbols, especially in the East. As its use became more public, a snuff etiquette ensued, like refining its use to the motion of snuffing with only one hand. The more elegant the manner in which snuff was stored and taken, the higher the social status of the snuffer. It was considered daintier and more elegant and less offensive to neighbors than inhaling smoke from a pipe. I’m convinced the pungent odors of the streets, assailing the nostrils, in those times, were an added incentive for the elites to snort some fragrances from the stylish bottle. During the Qing Dynasty, smoking tobacco was illegal, but snuff was allowed due to its medicinal properties. The snuff bottle was favoured due to its mobility over a snuff box and because it was easily sealed.
Snuff bottle, blue glass inlaid with coloured stones and pearl
China, 1736-1795.
The Kangxi Emperor ( 1662 – 1722) had a fondness for snuff and as a devoted patron of the arts, established a series of workshops in Beijing to manufacture small, high-quality objects for court use, including snuff bottles. The repertoire of materials, bottle shapes and motifs dramatically expanded under his imperial patronage. White cranes, cicadas, hares, dragons, peaches, bats and sages are some of the prestigious symbols that were presented in meticulous detail.
During the mid-nineteenth century in China, snuff bottles had become mandatory items of apparel for Chinese gentlemen and those who aspired to status. During the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1736 – 1795) (who admired the artfulness of these exquisite receptacles}, the production of the snuff bottles was further supported by the artists of the Qianlong court, which lifted their aesthetic to even higher levels. As an accessory, the snuff bottle held sway for around 300 years, then drifted into obscurity and was replaced by the introduction of cigarettes and wrist watches as items of style.
Porcelain Snuff bottle with figures in landscape
Asian Art Museum Online Collection
Carved Chinese snuff bottle with relief figures walking in a forest
Agate Snuff Bottle with overlay of boys riding on an elephant
19th Century, China
Ceramic snuff bottle with flying dragon motif in relief
Carved Chinese shadow agate snuff bottle, scholar reading in a garden
Art Glass Snuff Bottle with pearl and coral inlays, female musician performing
Amber ‘double gourds’ snuff bottle-Qing dynasty, Qianlong
Inside painted Chinese snuff bottle depicting scenes of a General on a Horse and on the reverse a Chinese soothsayer
Seeanfano etsy
Chinese Glass Snuff bottle in shape of a Foo Dog
Seeanfano-etsy
Deer and sacred fruit tree porcelain snuff bottle
Crystalline stone snuff bottle
Chineseplus – Etsy
Amethyst snuff bottle on wooden stand
China
‘Elephant and Empress’ carved snuff bottle
Chinese lacquered cinnabar snuff bottle depicting flying Guan Yin to each side.
Qianlong (1736-1795)
An ivory relief carved snuff bottle, boat on lotus lake, horse, pagoda and figures
1820-1880.
Antique Chinese Peking Glass Carved Snuff Bottle ~ monkey ridding on horse
Porcelain snuff bottle with lake willows
1820-1860
Overlay Snuff Bottle with Zhong Kui (Vanquisher of Ghosts)
French snuff bottle with rural scene
Rabbit & Radish carved Peking Overlay Glass Snuff Bottle.
Carved and molded porcelain ‘Landscape’ snuff bottle, signed Chen Guozhi
Qing dynasty, 19th century
Carved coral melon shape snuff bottle
Republic Period Republic of China photo courtesy Bonhams
Carved ivory Snuff Bottle with relief figures
Chinese Snuff Bottle, coral stopper, turquoise body
c. 19th century
Relief Carved Opal Snuff Bottle with pagoda and female figure
Chinese botanical Cloisonné snuff bottle
Chinese Bone & Coral inlay snuff bottle
Carved Amber Snuff Bottle
Carved Jadeite Snuff Bottle
Carved green malachite gourd form snuff bottle
Chinese Carved glass snuff bottle, Goldfish, Lotus, Frogs
Imperial Chinese overlay Peking Glass snuff bottle
Qianlong period
Chinese Inside Painted Snuff Bottle with roaming cat
Chinese Lac Burgaute Snuff Bottle
Qing Dynasty
Lapis lazuli snuff Bottle, China
Chinese mother-of-pearl snuff bottle Late 19th century with floral motif
Old Porcelain Snuff Bottle with Bird and Flower
Chinese Peking Glass butterflies snuff bottle
Chinese Peking Glass Snuff Bottle–with dragon overlays
Chinese Porcelain Snuff Bottle with white crane and persimmon overlay
Chinese snuff bottle, white porcelain with molded figures decoration.
Qing Dynasty; 1796-1850 — V & A
Hand painted porcelain snuff bottle, in the form of a lioness
Qing Dynasty, China; 1796-1860
Turquoise-blue overlay ruby-red glass ‘flowering orchids’ snuff bottle
Yangzhou, Qing dynasty, 19th century
Chinese blue snuff bottle
Cloisonné phoenix enamel scent bottle
Meiji period (late 19th century), signed Kyoto Namikawa (workshop of Namikawa Yasuyuki; 1845-1927)
Carved Coral snuff bottle with horse motif
Chinese Red Coral Damo Bodhidharma Buddha snuff bottle
Carved overlay dragon snuff bottle
Snuff Bottle (Biyanhu) with Landscape Carved ivory with polychrome tinted decoration, carved bone stopper.
China, early 20th century — LACMA
Embellished glass snuff bottle-Qing Dynasty, 1780-1900
Tsuda family, Kyoto, Japan, 1890-1941
Victorian Satin Scent Bottle with Japanese style gilt decoration
Red painted wood snuff bottle with stone figure inlays
Chinese porcelain snuff bottle with fish motif
White dragon relief snuff bottle
Hare motif wooden snuff bottle
Ivory-‘buddhist lions’ snuff bottle–Imperial Master
Japan, late 19th century
Ivory carved Japanese snuff bottle
Kyoto, 1920-1950
Jadeite lotus motif Snuff Bottle
Carved jade snuff bottle with birds, flowers and leaves
Kuan Yin snuff bottle, white overlay on crimson red
Kung Fu Warrior porcelain snuff-bottle
Lac Burgauté cicada snuff bottle
Japan, late 19th—early 20th century
Snuff bottle – late Qing dynasty, 1800-1911
Carved playful children Lapis lasuli Snuff bottle
China
Qing Glazed Porcelain Snuff Bottle
Moulded famille-rose porcelain ‘precious objects’ snuff bottle seal mark and period of Qianlong
Hand Painted Glass Snuff Bottle with overlay dragon motif
Black opal snuff bottle with fish motif
Green Dragonfly’ glass Snuff Bottle
Light blue overlay ‘Katydid’ Snuff Bottle
Red oral Buddha head snuff bottle
Qing dynasty
Carved red-coral animated dragon snuff bottle ( Biyanhu )
Sandwiched’ blue, biotite and milky-white glass ‘mallow’ snuff bottle
Qing dynasty, mid 18th -19th century
Red Peking Glass Carved Snuff Bottle – Fish & Lotus
Ceramic snuff bottle (Biyanhu) with Lao Zu riding a Water Buffalo
China, Late Qing dynasty, about 1800-1911
Snuff Bottle (Biyanhu) with Maidens in a Landscape with pines
China, late Qing dynasty, about 1800-1911,
Porcelain Snuff Bottle with Landscape
Chinese, late Qing dynasty, Guangxu period, 1874-1908
Snuff Bottle (Biyanhu) with Two Boys, Molded soft-paste porcelain with overglaze enamel and gilt decoration
China, Late Qing dynasty, about 1800-1911,
Snuff Bottle with pearl inlays
Ivory Snuff Bottle, carved as a melon borne on leafy tendril, with a bee to the surface
China, late 19th century
Ivory Snuff Bottle,carved butterflies and insects in relief
China, 20th century
White Overlay Blue Peking Glass ‘Crane’ Snuff Bottle
Abstract jade snuff bottle
