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 description The bottle is a pear form, slightly flattened, without a stopper. It is made of porcelain, unglazed, with decoration moulded in relief and finished by hand. The moulded relief depicts a dragon chasing a flaming pearl amid clouds. There is no separate foot and the flat base with an oval indentation underneath contains an incised mark Rongjing Zuo', 'made by Rongjing'. Place of Origin China (made) Date 1821-1861 (made) Artist/maker Unknown Materials and Techniques Unglazed porcelain, moulded in relief Marks and inscriptions 'Rongjing Zuo' 'made by Rongjing'. Chinese; underneath base; incising Dimensions Height: 6.5 cm Descriptive line Chinese snuff bottle, unglazed porcelain moulded in relief, decoration depicts a dragon chasing a flaming pearl, Qing Dynasty; 1821-1861. Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no) White, Helen. Snuff Bottles from China. London: Bamboo Publishing Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1992. 291p., ill. ISBN 1870076109. Materials Porcelain Techniques Moulding; Incising Subjects depicted Pearl; Dragon Categories ELISE; Containers; Personal accessories; Ceramics Collection East Asia Collection
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 description The bottle is a pear form, slightly flattened, without a stopper. It is made of porcelain, unglazed, with decoration moulded in relief and finished by hand. The moulded relief depicts a dragon chasing a flaming pearl amid clouds. There is no separate foot and the flat base with an oval indentation underneath contains an incised mark Rongjing Zuo', 'made by Rongjing'. Place of Origin China (made) Date 1821-1861 (made) Artist/maker Unknown Materials and Techniques Unglazed porcelain, moulded in relief Marks and inscriptions 'Rongjing Zuo' 'made by Rongjing'. Chinese; underneath base; incising Dimensions Height: 6.5 cm Descriptive line Chinese snuff bottle, unglazed porcelain moulded in relief, decoration depicts a dragon chasing a flaming pearl, Qing Dynasty; 1821-1861. Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no) White, Helen. Snuff Bottles from China. London: Bamboo Publishing Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1992. 291p., ill. ISBN 1870076109. Materials Porcelain Techniques Moulding; Incising Subjects depicted Pearl; Dragon Categories ELISE; Containers; Personal accessories; Ceramics Collection East Asia Collection