Chinese Snuff Bottles

Among the most beautiful of the world's art forms are Chinese snuff bottles, miniature bottle-shaped flasks, often of astounding intricacy and tactile appeal, which were made for court and subsequently popular use during the Qing Dynasty. Within the last 20 years or so, snuff bottles have been collected by an increasingly wide circle of enthusiasts. While recent research has led to a number of discussions of the topic, the collecting of snuff bottles remains an area within which the unwary may be trapped, particulary as the spectacular rise in value of these small items has proved a spur to the skilled faker. Illustrated with 24 full-colour and 16 black-and-white plates, this book serves as a useful and entertaining introduction to the collecting of snuff bottles. After tracing the history of snuff in Chinese culture, the author surveys the many styles of snuff bottles, dividing them by materials and methods of decoration used.