History of Snuff Bottle

Tobacco originated with the Indians of North America, and they are the earliest people who are absorbed the tobacco. The cenobite Pani in Spain followed Columbus to the second exploration in 1903, and went to the Continent, also found that the Indians have this kind of custom that to absorb the tobacco. The tobacco in North America began to widespread Europe through sailors, Boanerges and soldiers since 1960, and snuff began to prevail in Europe. So some maharajas and peers began to absorb the snuff, and become a kind of vogue in some countries, even some princesses also absorbed the snuff slinkingly. The princes usually put the snuff into wine and drink it out. At last, this kind of custom that absorbed the snuff was widely spreaded to all over the world.

History of Chinese Snuff Bottle 

Chinese snuff bottle has a long history of four hundred years so far. It is a favourite thing as Chinese cultural relic in the world. Also it’s an epitome of Chinese art. Chinese paintings, foreign paintings, calligraphy, engrave, inlay, and bowlder, porcelain, lacquer, enamel and metal, etc art all concentrate in snuff bottle.  

The snuff comes to China in Longqing Period of Ming Dynasty. At that time, people put snuff into the bottle as medicine. When you want to use it, you can get it from the bottle, it’s very convenient. The utensil that is filled with snuff was called “snuff bottle”. The popular snuff makes the snuff bottle develope quickly. People can make different shape bottles of all kinds of material, such as: Gold, Silver, Copper, Porcelain, Bowlder, Coral, Agate, Jade, Crystal, Wood, Bamboo root, gourd, etc. The snuff bottle not only has a certain practicability, also as an important present in international intercourse. According to the history record, Emperor Kang Xi 58 Year(1719) of Qing Dynasty,  Peter the Great of Russia has been deputed to Yisi Mand Luofu as Chinese ambassador. They visited chinese glass factory of Made department in Yangxin Palace after they went to China, and  saw lots of fine snuff bottles. The snuff bottles in Qing Dynasty were presents to foreign kings by the Shengzu emperor of Qing Dynasty through foreign ambassadors.

Nowadays Chinese Snuff Bottle

To protect Culture Heritage of Chinese snuff bottles, Chinese government give support to old and modern artist to develop the their artwork on the snuff bottle area. These artists keep the traditional art craft from their family and develop the artwork with modern elements. These artwork reflect the thinking  of modern society.  Such as Interior Painted snuff bottle (inside-drawing technic).  Since 1980, the snuff bottle art have good development for twenty years.  Nowadays, Chinese snuff bottle as famous as know all over the world.