Snuff Bottle
Unknown Artist
Medium
Moss agate
Dimensions
H. 2 3/4 in. (7 cm)
Classification
Snuff Bottles
Culture & Period
China · Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong period (1736–95)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Edmund C. Converse, 1921
Accession Number
21.175.232a, b
Art Historical Context
This delicate snuff bottle, fashioned from moss agate during the Qianlong period (1736–95) of China's Qing dynasty (1644–1911), captures the era's obsession with refined luxury. Standing just 2 3/4 inches (7 cm) tall, it served as a portable container for powdered tobacco snuff, a habit introduced from Europe and embraced by the imperial elite. The Qianlong emperor himself was a avid collector, fostering workshops that elevated these diminutive objects into high art. Moss agate, a semi-precious chalcedony variety, features natural, moss-like inclusions that create ethereal, landscape-like pat...