Friday, April 29, 2016

The Right Snuff

April 2016 - Toronto ON

I was at the AGO recently and really loved these Chinese snuff bottles some of them dating back to the 1730s.



They’re all small; almost none are taller than 3 inches. And they’re made of all kinds of materials, from glass to jade, agate, precious stones such as tourmaline, even ruby matrix, amethyst, porcelain.

Chinese snuff bottles were only made in the Qing Dynasty, which started in 1644 and ended in 1911, and contrary to what some people think, they were used only for holding powdered tobacco, usually with some herbs and spices in it, which was inhaled through the nose. They were never used for opium; that’s a totally different thing.










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5 comments:

  1. Quite ornate, and one looks rather risque!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I need to go back and get photos of more of them, there was another wall.

      Delete
  2. The detail on those tiny treasures is amazing. What an unusual and rare exhibit. You captured it beautifully.
    Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for these photos. I knew nothing of snuff bottles and their beautiful execution.

    ReplyDelete
  4. They remind a bit of the Japanese netsuki pieces.

    The wall display is very striking.

    ReplyDelete

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