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Value of snuff bottles isn’t anything to sniff at

Written by admin on June 25, 2009 – 4:48 am -

Throughout history, tobacco has had its own long and varied history. From the middle of the 1600s to the present day, snuff (pulverized tobacco) has had an interesting place in the history of art and world culture. By the 1700s, snuff had become the tobacco product of choice among the elite, and it was seen as a status symbol. Those who took snuff through the nose were thought to be more refined than those members of society who smoked their tobacco. Some of the worldís famous users of snuff included King Louis XIII, King George III and Napoleon.

Packaging Snuff

Snuff grew in popularity as a result of its associated and beautiful containers, mainly boxes and bottles. Expensive snuff bottles were the mark of the upper classes. By the end of the 1700s, collecting snuff containers had spread around the globe. Snuff bottles were used by Asian men and women for the easy transport of snuff. These intricately crafted bottles showed artistry and protect the coveted snuff. Snuff bottles were popular, as they allowed craftsmen to show their abilities and skill in the process of miniaturization. The best decorated bottles were not intended to be used at all, but rather were displayed as works of art. Those bottles intended for daily use were made of hard stone such as jade, agate and crystal.

Snuff had well documented medicinal properties, and, as such, snuff was dispensed in bottles. Snuff bottles initially exemplified the unparalleled abilities of artisans of the Qing dynasty. After the establishment of the Republic in 1912 and the fall of the Qing dynasty, the act of using snuff and collecting snuff bottles and other related paraphernalia fell out of favor.

Today, snuff bottles are carved, enameled, painted or decorated to show exquisite workmanship. Typical snuff bottles do not measure more than 2 to 2 1/2 inches high and are made of materials such as amber, jade, ivory, wood, lacquer, coral or cinnabar. They typically have tiny spoons attached to the cork stopper tops for ease of use and dispensing. Actual retail market values for snuff bottles depend on several factors, but they can range in value into the thousands of dollars for one tiny bottle.

Boxing Snuff

In Europe, snuff would be stored in boxes. European snuff boxes projected ornate decorations and were made of various materials. Snuff container boxes could be carried on one’s person and were small in scale. Snuffboxes of the 18th and 19th centuries were made of such materials as horn, tortoiseshell, ivory, papier-mâché, wood, thinly cut stones, gold, brass, burlwood, Sheffield silver, etc. They range in value from the hundreds of dollars to well into the tens of thousands.

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