Images(4)

snuff bottle

Translation雄黃色玻璃磨花八角鼻煙壺

Object NameSnuff Bottle and Spoon

Maker Imperial Workshops (China)

Made FromGlass, Ivory, Gilding, Cork

Date1736-1795

Place MadeChina, Beijing

Techniqueblown, cut

SizeOverall H: 5 cm, W: 4.3 cm

Accession Number82.6.24

Credit LineBequest of Marian Swayze Mayer

Curatorial Area(s)

Early Modern

Exhibitions

Glass Snuff Bottles of China at Steuben Glass

Not On View

Interpretive Notes

Web Text

The rich warm tones of objects were achieved using a unique type of glass developed at the court workshops in the 1700s. Alternatively named after persimmon (an orange fruit), or realgar (a red mineral), the colors of this glass were created through a precise manipulation of the object’s temperature during the forming process.

Physical DescriptionSnuff Bottle and Spoon (雄黃色玻璃磨花八角鼻煙壺). Opaque brilliant orange glass in imitation of realgar; blown, cut. (a) Flattened, octagonal form, with panel-cut sides; slightly domed faces, cut in four triangular flat facets; short, cylindrical neck with flat rim and circular opening for a stopper; the flat base with incised four-character mark "乾隆年制 Qianlong nianzhi" (made in the Qianlong period); paper label inscribed in ink "643". (b) Domed, gilt, molded composition cap, with raised scroll and flower decoration; cork stopper; short, slender ivory spoon with pointed oval spatulate bowl.
Provenance

Source Marian Swayze Mayer (d. 1982) - 1981-12-22