Daily Archives: November 23, 2009

THE Chinese snuff-bottle corresponds to the European snuff-box, and flourished at about
the same period. The Chinese used a bottle with a stopper to which a small spoon was
attached; with this the snuff was extracted. As the pocket was unknown in China, this
method of carrying the fragrant powder had obvious advantages. A box is kept
automatically shut in a pocket; in the capacious Chinese sleeve it might easily fall
open. The bottle, with its narrow stoppered mouth, is a safer container. European snuff-
boxes, in porcelain, gold, crystal or tortoiseshell, are often technical triumphs, but
their fine detail does not lend itself to colour reproduction. The Chinese, with their
passion for flowers, seem to have concentrated on colour-effect in making small
objects. Collecting Chinese snuff-bottles is like making an indoor flower garden, in
miniature; nor is it a very much more costly hobby than growing flowers. Continue reading →

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