Antique Chinese Cinnabar lacquer snuff bottle, carved with Buddha Symbols. Original stopper. Early 20th century.

Sale price Price $ 1,800.00 Regular price Unit price  per 

Tax included.
Antique Chinese Cinnabar lacquer snuff bottle, carved with Buddha Symbols. Original stopper. Early 20th century.

Size 7.3 X 5 cm

Tobacco was introduced by the Portuguese to the court at Beijing some time during the mid- to late-16th century. It was originally smoked in pipes before the establishment of the Qing Dynasty. The use of snuff and snuff bottles spread through the upper class, and by the end of the 17th century it had become a part of social ritual to use snuff. This lasted through most of the 18th century. Eventually, the trend spread into the rest of the country and into every social class. It was common to offer a pinch of snuff as a way to greet friends and relatives. Snuff bottles soon became an object of beauty and a way to represent status and wealth.

The use of snuff increased and decreased with the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty and died away soon after the establishment of the Republic of China.