Chinese Snuff Bottles - Beautiful Miniature Art

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Snuff Bottles as Art and Gifts

Snuff bottles have long history for the Chinese. While they began as a practical bottle to carry snuff in, they eventually evolved into complex and beautiful works of art to convey taste, style, and status. This lens will introduce you to Chinese snuff bottles as well as show you a few places where you can buy snuff bottles today.

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Chinese Snuff Bottles 

Snuff bottles used to hold snuff....

snuff bottle

First of all, what is snuff? Snuff is a form of powdered tobacco that is typically inhaled through the nose. Tobacco was introduced to China by the Europeans, and the popularity of snuff bottles rose and fell with the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). During this time, snuff was almost considered medicinal, capable of curing many small illnesses, so it was conveniently carried around in these small bottles.

The use of snuff was originally confined to the upper class but eventually became a staple for all social classes. At this point, of course, the upper class had to somehow distinguish themselves and began to seek out the most beautiful, the most elegant, and the most unique snuff bottles.

A variety of snuff bottles exist today from the very affordable, mass-produced souvenir-type to complex, delicately decorated bottles that appeal to collectors. Snuff bottles have been made with porcelain, stone, wood, jade, ivory, and more, though the most popular material is glass. In addition to landscapes, it's possible to find many different motif designs on snuff bottles. Some examples are dragons, animals, women, and Chinese characters.

Learn more about snuff bottles at Wikipedia.

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Books About Snuff Bottles 

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Vintage Snuff Bottles on eBay 

If you're looking for vintage snuff bottles, eBay is the place to start looking. At any given time, you can find dozens of beautiful snuff bottles made in many different styles and materials at reasonable prices.

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Inside Painted Snuff Bottles 

The most popular type of snuff bottle


Buy this snuff bottle from Good Orient.

Inside painted snuff bottles are quite a feat, especially back in the early 1800s, when the first inside painted snuff bottles were made. Not only was there tremendous skill and patience required to paint intricate designs on the interior of the snuff bottle, there also required a level of materials science and materials processing knowledge to make the glass transparent without impurities!

It has been told often that the origin of the inside painted snuff bottles came about by accident. In the Qing Dynasty, an official stopping at a temple found his snuff bottle empty, and thus, he decided to use a thin stick to scrape off the snuff gathered on the walls of the snuff bottle. This left lines that could be seen through his crystal snuff bottle. Later, a monk found his discarded snuff bottle, and the idea of the inside painted snuff bottle was born.

Today, inside painted snuff bottles are still made and are very popular among collectors. Take a close look at one and you'll notice that eyelashes and black lines must be painted in before the rest of the color is painted. Also, calligraphy must be written in reverse!

Popular Motifs on Snuff Bottles 

Intricate designs on snuff bottles

Designs on snuff bottles are limitless, and you can find virtually any design you can think of. However, there are a few more traditional art subjects that adorn many snuff bottles. Below are just a small sampling of snuff bottle designs. Click on any snuff bottle below to purchase from Good Orient.

Snuff Bottles with People 

Buy these snuff bottles

snuff bottle with peoplesnuff bottle with people
$30.98 / $40.98

Snuff Bottles with Animals 

Buy these snuff bottles

snuff bottle with fishsnuff bottle with tigersnuff bottle with bee
$16.98 / $27.98 / $16.98

Snuff Bottles with Birds 

Buy these snuff bottles

snuff bottle with birdssnuff bottle with birdssnuff bottle with birds
$90.98 / $19.98 / $19.98

Snuff Bottles with Landscape 

Buy these snuff bottles

snuff bottle with landscapesnuff bottle with landscapesnuff bottle with bamboo
$40.98 / $19.98 / $19.98

Snuff Bottles with Dragons 

Buy these snuff bottles

snuff bottle with dragonsnuff bottle with dragonsnuff bottle with dragon
$16.98 / $19.98 / $19.98

Snuff Bottles on Amazon 

While the selection is much smaller, it is possible to find snuff bottles on Amazon. I especially like the snuff bottles that come with their own display case. These snuff bottles are great as a classy gift.
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Popular Materials for Snuff Bottles 

Photo of different kinds of snuff bottles


Take a look at the picture above, and you'll find snuff bottles made from many different materials. Can you identify jade, wood, porcelain, stone, glass, ivory, lacquer, amber, and more? Image used here under Creative Common licensing. Original Image

Snuff Bottle Links 

More information, photos, collections

International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society
Great resource to find dealers and experts on snuff bottles. Also lists schedule for national snuff bottle conventions.
Asian Art Mall
Great resource for snuff bottles. Also has introductory descriptions for several different snuff bottle techniques such as color overlay.
Robert Hall's Snuff Bottle Collection
Homepage of a well-respected snuff bottle collector and expert. He is also one of the leading dealers in the world.

Are you a fan of snuff bottles? 

What do you think about snuff bottles? Are they not beautiful pieces of miniature art? Leave a message here! Also, you can rate this lens at The Isle of Squid or even submit your own lens there.

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by mosaic

I have an interest in Chinese art, and snuff bottles are definitely have a significant place in Chinese art history. My favorite ones are miniature la... (more)

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