Snuff bottle with imperial hunting scene

1735-1796

Large and robust, this bottle may have been designed to be visible from afar during a royal hunt. The hunt was a metaphor for military prowess and a validation of the emperor’s authority to rule. Retainers with diverse ancestries and origins were brought together at this public forum as allies and mutual protectors of the territory.

Wood with gilt metal, jade, malachite, agate, coral, pearl, rose quartz, and lacquer

3 1/2 x 7/8 x 2 11/16 in. (8.9 x 2.3 x 6.8 cm)

Overall h.: 3 15/16 in.

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

33.918

Now on view at the Asian Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing.

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

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