Horn Snuff Bottle, 1800 CE to 1900 CE
4” (10cm) high x 2.8” (7cm) wide
MP.0001
This extraordinary bears a remarkably interesting iconography: the depiction of Budai, or Laughing Buddha. He is traditionally depicted as a fat, bald monk wearing a simple robe and carrying a...
This extraordinary bears a remarkably interesting iconography: the depiction of Budai, or Laughing Buddha.
He is traditionally depicted as a fat, bald monk wearing a simple robe and carrying a tiny cloth sack, being poor but content. His figure is used in Chinese culture as a representation of happiness and abundance. He attracted people from surrounding towns and villages and was able to predict the future and forecast the weather. Budai was one of the ‘uncommitted saints’ that became incorporated into the Chan\Zen pantheon.
Chinese snuff bottles, and the powdered tobacco which they contained, were at the heart of a fashion which had no equivalent in China's long history. Because of the extraordinary variety of styles, techniques and materials found in these small objects, and the exquisite craftsmanship which was lavished upon them, these miniature masterpieces became one of the most important representations of the applied arts during the Qing Dynasty.
Tobacco, introduced into China from Europe towards the end of the 16th Century, was at first smoked in pipes. Its use as snuff began only after the establishment of the Qing Dynasty in 1644. At that time, smoking of tobacco was forbidden but, paradoxically, the use of snuff was acceptable because it was valued for its medicinal qualities. Considered as an effective remedy for colds, headaches, stomach disorders and many other illnesses, the powdered tobacco was dispensed in a bottle, as were most other medicines in China, rather than in boxes as was the European custom.
He is traditionally depicted as a fat, bald monk wearing a simple robe and carrying a tiny cloth sack, being poor but content. His figure is used in Chinese culture as a representation of happiness and abundance. He attracted people from surrounding towns and villages and was able to predict the future and forecast the weather. Budai was one of the ‘uncommitted saints’ that became incorporated into the Chan\Zen pantheon.
Chinese snuff bottles, and the powdered tobacco which they contained, were at the heart of a fashion which had no equivalent in China's long history. Because of the extraordinary variety of styles, techniques and materials found in these small objects, and the exquisite craftsmanship which was lavished upon them, these miniature masterpieces became one of the most important representations of the applied arts during the Qing Dynasty.
Tobacco, introduced into China from Europe towards the end of the 16th Century, was at first smoked in pipes. Its use as snuff began only after the establishment of the Qing Dynasty in 1644. At that time, smoking of tobacco was forbidden but, paradoxically, the use of snuff was acceptable because it was valued for its medicinal qualities. Considered as an effective remedy for colds, headaches, stomach disorders and many other illnesses, the powdered tobacco was dispensed in a bottle, as were most other medicines in China, rather than in boxes as was the European custom.