Snuff bottle with portrait of a European man

18th Century

The edges of this porcelain bottle are gilded to imitate a copper-bodied, enameled bottle. This material ambiguity is by design. The owner would take delight in both the gilding’s effective illusion and the high-quality porcelain’s expense.

Porcelain with overglaze enamel and gilding

2 3/16 in. (5.56 cm)

Overall h.: 2 1/16 in.

Overall w.: 1 11/16 in.

Overall d.: 1 1/8 in.

Gift of Eugene Y.C. Sung

98.49.323

Photo: Elizabeth Mann

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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