This Chinese glass snuff bottle has been skilfully moulded in the shape of a man, with long hair and wearing an open vest.. It is made of a distinctive blue coloured glass which has been handworked and polished.
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.