Busacca Gallery

Absolutely Beautiful, look closely at the design and the workmanship. To make this today would cost you a fortune. Think of the hours that Were put into it, fabulous workmanship. Chinese Carved Chromium Jade with Porcelain Stopper Snuff Bottle 2 ⅝" x 1 ⅞" x ⅞" Ovoid form carved chromium jade snuff bottle with powder blue stopper. Condition: Good, missing spoon. The professionally estimated Value was around $400

Snuff bottles were used by the Chinese, Mongolians during the Qing Dynasty to contain powdered tobacco. Smoking tobacco was illegal during the Qing Dynasty, but the use of snuff was allowed because the Chinese considered snuff to be a remedy for common illnesses such as colds, headaches and stomach disorders.

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snuff_bottle

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. However, contemporary snuff bottles are still being made, and can be purchased in souvenir shops, flea markets and museum gift shops. Original snuff bottles from the Qing period are a desirable target for serious collectors and museums. A good bottle has an extra quality over and above its exquisite beauty and value: that is touch. Snuff bottles were made to be held and so, as a rule, they have a pleasant tactile quality.