Glass Enamel Snuff Bottle with Pattern of Lady

This famous snuff bottle was made by Imperial Affairs Administration of the Qing Dynasty in Qianlong Period. In flfl at square shape, it is based on white glass, which boasts refined modelling, refined drawing and bright color. In Qianlong Period, ware technology products mainly adopted figures, birds and flowers, landscape as decorative themes. Obverse and reverse sides are decorated with enamel color painting with portrait of a lady, while two sides are painted with carmine red landscape pattern. The bottom is inscribed with Made in Qianlong Periodd with blue enamel glaze.

The lady in the painting

The lady wears a yellow skirt and blue scarf on head. A flfl ower is inserted in high hair worn in a bun. Her left hand holds the red ribbon at the waist, and raises right hand up to his chest. With a pair of opened almondshaped eyes, she walks in the countryside. Behind her, there are golden yellow flfl owers, grass, reeds and river stretch. Lady holds a basket in the arms, in which there is a big red-tail carp. The lady seems to cross over the river and go on the way home.

Snuff bottle

Snuff bottle is the apparatus used to contain snuff. Generally it has big abdomen and small mouth. Cover and spoon (a tool used to picking snuff) are linked. Spoon is mostly made of ivory, white jade, emerald, bamboo, wood and other materials. Its head end is cut in the shape of spoon (the size similar to earpick). Opening the cover, user can take out a spoon of snuff, and then place back into the bottle. Snuff bottle widely adopts materials. Usually glass, ceramics, jade, wood, metal, clay, tortoise shell, horn, ivory or calabash can be used to make snuff bottle. In the production technology, snuff bottle not only integrates Chinese painting, poetry, calligraphy, sculpture, mosaic, lacquering, carving, grounding and other technologies in one, but also refers to painting and metal crafts from European and Arabic countries. It shapes like flat vase, cylinder, flfl at eight edge, gourd and the like, which is compact and beautiful.

The prevalence of snuff in the world

The earliest source of tobacco was the American Indian Region. In 1492, Columbus found the New World of Americas. After that, tobacco gradually spread all over the world from the Americas. In the 16th century, the French court nobles and retainers smelt snuff successively, and regarded it as a fashion. After the 16th century, snuff was introduced into the northeast China. The nomadic failed to consume tobacco with pipe on the horseback. So snuff was suitable due to the characteristics of the nomadic who labored in the field. In the Qing Dynasty, snuff further spread to vast areas of Central China. At the time, aristocrats and civilians generally liked smelling snuff.

hancheng

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