To be sold without reserve The fashion for snuff bottles in China began with the introduction of tobacco in that country from Europe, around the end of the 16th century. First smoked in pipes, tobacco only began to be taken in the form of snuff during the Qing Dynasty (established in 1644), when smoking was forbidden. Considered to have important medicinal qualities, snuff continued to be used. It was thought to cure colds, headaches, stomach disorders and many other illnesses. In China, medicines were generally contained in bottles rather than in boxes, as they were in Europe, and so decorative bottles were used to contain the powdered tobacco used as snuff. Chinese snuff bottles thus became extremely popular. A great variety of styles developed, and many different materials and techniques were employed. Indeed, snuff bottles became one of the most important forms of the decorative arts during the Qing Dynasty. Though initially it was only a small elite who used snuff and snuff bottles, little by little the substance?s popularity spread, and by the 17th century snuff and the snuff bottle were firmly established at the Beijing court, continuing throughout the 18th century as both a fashion and a social ritual of the upper classes. Snuff bottles as both useful and decorative accessories became actively sought-after and collected. In addition, they were used as a sort of currency for the ?purchase? of favors, positions, and advancement. The custom gradually spread to the rest of the country, and by the late 18th century, the use of snuff and the collecting of snuff bottles were common among most of the population. It was considered polite to offer a pinch of snuff when greeting friends, and great status accrued to the owner of the most unusual or finest bottle. Snuff bottles were made in many different materials - glass, porcelain, hard stone, jade, ivory, coral, lacquer, amber, wood, etc. - and were made in large quantities and of varying quality, to meet the great demand. The high point in the manufacture of most types of bottle was the 18th century, however many very fine snuff bottles were made throughout the 19th century as well. After the revolution and the Republic, established in 1912, the habit of taking snuff gradually disappeared. Today, the snuff bottle, though no longer an object of everyday use, had become a highly desirable collector?s item, valued for its historical, tactile, and decorative qualities. For a biography of Verger and a note on his work, see lot 465, as well as the Spring 2005 VOX, pp. 9 to 13.