Snuff Bottle
Object NameSnuff Bottle
DateMid 18th century
OriginChina
MediumEnamel porcelain over brass
Dimensions2 5/16 × 1 9/16 × 3/4 in. (5.9 × 4 × 1.9 cm)
ClassificationsSnuff Bottles and Boxes
Credit LineGift of Ann and Henry Brunnier. In the Ann and Henry Brunnier Collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Object number11.2.60ab
Status
Not on viewCollections
Label TextThe earliest known Chinese snuff bottles were made of brass, between 1646 and 1653, during the Shun Zhi period (1644-1661). It is said that when Emperor Kang Xi (1654-1722) celebrated his sixtieth birthday he was given two bottles of snuff by Jesuit missionaries. By the Qing Long period, a number of enameled snuff bottles were produced for the use of the imperial household. On the bottom are incised marks filled with blue enamel indicating the reign during which they were manufactured. Today these bottles are considered the finest and rarest specimens.
This bottle was “made in the year of the Qing Long Emperor 1736-1796” as recorded by its base marks. Made for the imperial court, the western motif of European ladies was copied from prints and paintings by a court painter. At the time this bottle was made, enameling on metal was still a new technique and required multiple firings, resulting in contraction and subsequently, small cracks, as seen here on both sides. One side features a woman with a wand and elephant, while the reverse shows a woman with two rams. Both women are dressed in eighteenth century attire.
MarkingsChinese marks for "made in year of Ch'ien L'ung Emperor. 1736-1796" Made in Court
Locations
- (not entered) Iowa State University, Brunnier Main Storage
