believed to be carved from resin, but possibly bone or other organic material, this teensy 3" tall bottle will intrigue anyone who sees it. it's truly a beautiful, minature work-of-art.
according to my research, these snuff bottles originated in mongolia/china, made for powdered tobacco. in those days and times, tobacco was illegal during certain periods. but the chinese happened to believe that tobacco improved stomach issues, headaches, and colds, considering it medicine.
shh. the small sizes of the bottles may have been for concealment purposes, fitting into the palm of the hand in order to hide the contraband from authorities.
another theory: because it was "medicine," the smaller bottle was apt for dispensing dosages, much the way our prescription bottles today are typically smaller-sized.
all different class levels in their culture used snuff bottles. a common social rite for greeting family or friends was to offer the person a pinch of your snuff.
the chinese culture values beauty. these bottles were made from glass, ceramic, metal, tortoiseshell, wood, horn, jade, ivory, and other precious and organic materials. the different kinds of material used and the intricacy of the patterns showed off--literally. your snuff bottle served as a status symbol.
this tiny masterpiece caught my husband's eye in a small, small farm town's antique store, nearly hidden among cheap dishes and old ashtrays.
we both fell in love with it, but felt so curious, too--and also a little worried. what if it held opium or something taboo? thank goodness, to our best knowledge after research, nope.
at first, i thought it was a perfume bottle.
the top opens and inside, you find a stopper with an attached itty-bitty, plastic "spoon."
growing up in the ozarks and being hillbilly on both sides of my family, the word "snuff" made me laugh out loud when my research led to the bottle's history. one of my great-grandmothers could accurately hit a spitoon from far enough away to be remembered for her skill.
each side has a different scene
it does not appear manufactured, but we do not know its full story. we are guessing.
on its felted bottom, it appears to be something stamped in chinese (no luck getting it interpreted online). because of that, we assume this is something created in more modern times.
but i could be wrong again...
the only flaw: a tiny chip missing from the stopper's top.
who knows? this super-fancy artwork/piece of history/snuff-holder might belong in a museum. and it could be yours...
it could be vintage. or, it may be something commonplace and newer. we do not know its story.
