Unique, rare & antique Chinese cloisonné miniature snuff bottle from qinglong dynasty.
3” H x 1.75” W x 1” Depth
Snuff Bottles History :
Snuff was introduced to China around the late 16th to 17th centuries. A form of pulverized tobacco, it was considered a luxury import from the West. While aristocrats in England and Europe would keep the snuff on their persons in ornamented hinged boxes, airtight bottles were better suited to the comparatively humid climate in China. Since the practice of snuff-taking was very much the province of the fashionable Qing dynasty elite, the pocket-sized bottles would be made of precious materials and decorated in a manner befitting the carrier. Over the centuries the designs would become ever more elaborate, and the snuff bottles would be regarded as objects of high value, exchanged to mark social ties or presented as gifts from the imperial court. Although snuff-taking eventually fell out of fashion, bottles continued to be sought after as collectors’ items.
