Snuff entered the Forbidden City in the 17th century as gifts from foreign missionaries and led to the development of the snuff bottle, a tobacco delivery system unique to China. Produced in the Imperial workshops as personal ornaments, as tokens of meritorious service, and as diplomatic presents, snuff bottles became an intrinsic part of 18th-century visual culture. This talk explores the technical and artistic challenges in making these clever miniature treasures in an infinite variety of media and designs, as well as their circulation within the rarefied social and political spaces at the heart of the empire.
The Art of the Gift: Snuff Bottles at the Qing Court
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8 June 2018 19:00
8 June 2018 20:00
Europe/London
[MEAA] The Art of the Gift: Snuff Bottles at the Qing Court
Snuff entered the Forbidden City in the 17th century as gifts from foreign missionaries and led to the development of the snuff bottle, a tobacco delivery system unique to China. Produced in the Imperial workshops as personal ornaments, as tokens of meritorious service, and as diplomatic presents, snuff bottles became an intrinsic part of 18th-century visual culture. This talk explores the technical and artistic challenges in making these clever miniature treasures in an infinite variety of media and designs, as well as their circulation within the rarefied social and political spaces at the heart of the empire.
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