Pocket treasures: snuff boxes from past times

Abstract

A collection of 60 Chinese export snuff boxes forms the foundation for a study of these portable containers for powdered tobacco in 'Pocket Treasures: Snuff Boxes from Past Times'. Snuff boxes were made in Europe in a variety of materials from at least the 17th century and were later commissioned by private individuals and merchants of the European trading companies in China. As fashionable symbols of status, boxes of this type had their use highly codified by the late 17th century. This exhibition catalogue illustrates enamelled copper and porcelain boxes dating to the 18th and 19th centuries, and an introductory essay includes details of how snuff boxes emerged in Europe and China, comparative works and a history of snuff consumption in the West.00Exhibition: Jorge Welsh Gallery, London, UK (02.-09.11.2019) / Jorge Welsh Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal (15.11.-07.12.2019).