Snuff Bottle

The seal at the base of this bottle dates it to the Qianlong period (1736-95). Snuff was first introduced to China in the seventeenth century by Jesuit missionaries from Europe. Snuff bottles were made from many different materials, such as glass, porcelain, precious stones and metal. The technique of painting enamels on to metal surfaces was also introduced by Jesuit missionary artists in the early eighteenth century. The subjects of enamel paintings were often copied from Western originals.