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Both Chinese snuff bottles, as
well as the tobacco powder contained by the
Chinese snuff bottles were at the very core of a
fashion whose popularity had never before been
experienced in China’s extensive history. Due to
it’s exceptional versatility of style, technique
and material, all in one small object, as well
as the fine craftsmanship, these tiny
masterpieces quickly became one of the most
notable representations of the use of artistic
skill throughout the Qing Dynasty.
There are many different beliefs as to
who introduced the use of tobacco to the
Chinese. I have read that the Russians, Manchu,
Portuguese, and the Jesuit Priests brought
tobacco to China. I would venture to say that it
is likely that different people, around the same
time, introduced it in different regions. That
time would be the early to mid 1600's.
Although legally, the smoking
of tobacco was not permitted, its use as snuff
was considered perfectly acceptable, as it was
thought to have valuable medicinal
applications. Tobacco
was thought to be a great way to treat colds,
headaches, stomach disorders and many other
symptoms and illnesses. Powdered
tobacco, as well as the majority of other
Chinese medications, was dispensed in bottles,
as opposed to the boxes that were used in
Europe.
Though snuff was originally
only a luxury experienced by the elite of the
new Qing Dynasty house, its popularity, along
with the popularity of the snuff bottle, became
much more available in and around the Beijing
court by the close of the seventeenth century.
The heart of the recognition of snuff and snuff
bottles remained in and around Beijing’s court
until the end of the eighteenth century,
developing the use of snuff into a common social
ritual for the upper classes. The
snuff therefore had to be contained in something
that would contribute to this newfound fashion,
and therefore, large amounts of art, taste and
money were spent on the acquisition of
attractive snuff bottles. Snuff
bottles also started being used for the
attainment of favors, positions, status as well
as advancement in government.
During the 1700's snuff increased in
popularity among the Chinese, which created a
great demand for Snuff Bottles. They became
conversation pieces and collectable items almost
immediately. Collecting
snuff bottles became the newest nationwide
habit, and it spread to all of the social
classes with the actual snuff-taking, at the
very end of the eighteenth century. The finer
the snuff bottle, the more respected was its
owner.
Snuff bottles were made out of
every material of which the Chinese knew. This
included glass, porcelain, jade and other
hardstones, ivory, coral, lacquer, amber, wood,
etc. |
Curios &
Stands
The first style or type of Peking Glass
bottle is the translucent or opaque single color
bottle. These bottles are made in every color
imaginable. These were also the first glass
snuff bottles to be produced. One of the most
popular colors produced was "Imperial
Yellow". 
Mottled
Glass is a mixture of several
different colors of glass that are combine in a
molten state to create patterns and swirls. Many
different interesting designs can be create with
this technique. Flakes of gold are sometimes
added as in the example.
Carved
Glass bottles are typically made from
a single color glass and either molded or
carved. Most of the bottles are carved from a
small block of glass and hollowed out as a stone
snuff bottle would be. 
Glass Imitating other
materials gave the artist an opportunity to
display the best qualities of their glass making
skills. Many of these bottles are nearly
impossible to distinguish from the real
materials without using some type of
magnifier.
Single color
overlay bottles are made with one
color base glass and a contrasting color
overlay. The base color is most frequently
either clear or opaque white. The lesser quality
overlay bottles are all single color overlay,
but some very high quality bottles are also
produced. When determining the value of a Peking
Glass bottle the details in the carving is the
most important aspect. 
Bubble Glass snuff
bottles are made by heating the molten glass to
a very high temperature and forcing air into the
mixture. Impurities are also added to the
mixture to produce the snowflake glass. Most of
the Bubble Glass bottles are clear glass but
some colored bubble glass bottles are made as
well.
Multi-color
overlay are made by using different
colors side by side on the top layer. Two basic
grades of these bottles exist. The first and
least expensive uses random placement of the
color. The second and better quality, the
different colors are part of separate components
of the design. 
Seal Type
overlay bottles have a very delicate
"seal" carved on the bottle. This seal is the
Name of the Artist, Name of the School in which
he works, or the Dynasty after which the design
was made. 
Multi-Layer
overlay are perhaps the most
desirable of all Peking Glass bottles. They
require much more expertise and are generally
only made by the most experience artists. These
can be two layers of overlay glass to as many as
four or five layers. The quality of the carving
and the thickness of the layer both play a part
in determining the value. (the thinner the
layers the better) 
Carved
Multi-layer overlay is perhaps the
finest display of glass carving there is. The
base glass is first carved in the shape of a
flower or fruit, then multiple layers are added.
Each layer is perfectly carved to expose only
certain parts of the layer below.
