Beautiful Qing Dynasty Chinese snuff bottle, made of porcelain and hand painted. Includes original white jade cap with spoon. It has a miniature painting of a rooster on each side. Rooster is a popular symbol throughout China and one of the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac. The Chinese assign the Rooster as a proverbial mascot to the five virtues - civil responsibility, marital fidelity, courage, kindness, and confidence. Feng shui practitioners paint a red rooster on the house walls for protection from fire, and a white rooster for protection from evil spirits. This snuff bottle was not made for export and therefore is not marked at the bottom.
Measurements:
Height: 2.5" (6.5 cm).
Width: 1.8" (4.5 cm).
Chinese snuff bottles were only made in the Qing Dynasty, which began in 1644 and ended in 1911. They were used exclusively for holding powdered tobacco, usually mixed with herbs and spices. The mixture was inhaled through the nose. Snuff bottles originated in the imperial court. For the first several hundred years of their existence, tobacco was very expensive in China and therefore snuff bottle ownership indicated high social status. Only in the 19th century did snuff bottles become accessible to the general population. The great diversity in styles and materials and creativity in design made snuff bottles an important form of Chinese decorative art.
