Carved Chalcedony Agate Snuff Bottles 玛瑙雕刻鼻烟壶
Agate 玛瑙
Qing Dynasty 清 (1750 - 1850)
China 中國
Snuff, a form of powdered tobacco leaves mixed with aromatics, was introduced to China by way of Portuguese trade routes running from South America to Macau in the late sixteenth century. The imperial court often accepted boxes of snuff as medicinal gifts from Portuguese Jesuit missionaries, although China's humid climate quickly determined a need for a more stable form of storage to prevent substance deterioration. Thus, snuff came to be stored in existing medicinal bottles with cork stoppers and small spoons. As snuff usage increased in popularity over the next few centuries, snuff bottle production gradually shifted from purely functional designs to include aesthetic appeal. The bottles here have been carved out of agate and depict various images of man, immortals, flora, and fauna.
Gift from Bill Burd