{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O11866"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O11866/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2010EC4313/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2010EC4313/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2010EC4313","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AU7357","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2021MV9996","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O11866/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O11866","accessionNumber":"412-1903","objectType":"Snuff bottle","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Snuff is powdered tobacco, usually blended with aromatic herbs or spices. The habit of snuff-taking spread to China from the West during the 17th century and became established in the 18th century. People generally carried snuff in a small bottle. By the 20th century these bottles had become collectors' items, owing to the great variety of materials and decorative techniques used in their production.","physicalDescription":"The bottle is a cylindrical form made of porcelain and painted in enamel colours, green, red, yellow, blue, brown, black and pink. There is gilding on the flat upper surface of the neck rim and no stopper.\r\nThe painted decoration depicts the Empress Wu Zetain from an illustration in <font -i>Wu shuang pu</font>, 'A Register of the Incomparable'. The inscription is a contracted version of her biography in that publication.\r\nThe body of the bottle slops towards a sharp foot with a high curved indentation underneath.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"porcelain","id":"AAT10662"},{"text":"enamel","id":"AAT14910"}],"techniques":[{"text":"painted","id":"AAT54216"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Porcelain painted in enamel colours, with gilding","categories":[{"text":"ELISE","id":"THES48961"},{"text":"Containers","id":"THES48972"},{"text":"Personal accessories","id":"THES48912"},{"text":"Ceramics","id":"THES48982"}],"styles":[{"text":"Qing","id":"AAT18478"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"EAS","id":"THES48596"},"images":["2010EC4313","2006AU7357","2021MV9996"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"137 (VA)","id":"THES49876"},"free":"","case":"14","shelf":"7","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"SNUFF BOTTLE","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"China","id":"x29398"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1821-1850","earliest":"1821-01-01","latest":"1850-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Bequeathed by Mrs A. B. Woodcroft","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"8.1","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Daoguang mark in red","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"enamel","method":"painted","position":"under foot","script":"seal","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"seal; under foot; painted; enamel"},{"content":"A contracted version of the biography of the Empress Wu Zetain taken from the biography of her in <font -i>Wu shuang pu</font>, 'A Register of the Incomparable'.","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"enamel","method":"painted","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"painted; enamel"}],"objectHistory":"Bequeathed by  Mrs. A. B. Woodcroft, accessioned in 1903. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Chinese snuff bottle, porcelain, depicting the Empress Wu Zetian, Qing, 1821-1850.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"White, Helen. <font -u>Snuff Bottles from China</font>. London: Bamboo Publishing Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1992. 291p., ill. ISBN 1870076109."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Wu, Zetian","id":"N63"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"武后","id":"CIT0379338"},{"text":"執持","id":"CIT282802"},{"text":"朝笏","id":"CIT284879"},{"text":"站立 (人體姿勢)","id":"CIT278931"},{"text":"朝冠","id":"CIT0282879"},{"text":"披領","id":"CIT291119"},{"text":"袍","id":"CIT289580"},{"text":"腰巾","id":"CIT0292296"},{"text":"綵帶","id":"CIT282933"},{"text":"鞋","id":"CIT0288715"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":["<font -i>Wu shuang pu</font>, <font -u>A Register of the Incomparable</font>. A publication of the Kangxi period (1662-1722)"],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["412-1903"],"accessionNumberNum":"412","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1903,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-16","recordCreationDate":"1999-10-20","availableToBook":false}}