Convention
For more than half a century, the Society’s annual conventions have been the centerpiece of its intellectual and social life. Held in major cultural centers across North America, Europe, and Asia, each convention brings together collectors, scholars, curators, and dealers for several days of focused study and shared experience. Programs combine scholarly lectures, close study of institutional and private collections, museum and site visits, seminars, and benefit auctions—alongside an active Dealers’ Room, where members have the opportunity to view and acquire works from leading specialists in the field. Receptions, banquets, and informal exchange round out gatherings that reflect the Society’s enduring commitment to connoisseurship, rigor, and community.
Join us in Amsterdam for the 2026 Convention!
Our 58th annual convention will take place from Tuesday, October 13 to Saturday, October 17, 2026. Register your room today: Clayton Hotel Amsterdam American, Leidsekade 97, 1017 PN Amsterdam, Netherlands (Single: € 304.24, Double: € 324.24 - inclusive of breakfast and all taxes).
Previous Conventions
October 22-26, 1975
–
The Madison Hotel
The Seventh Annual Convention of the Chinese Snuff Bottle Society of America in Washington, D.C., headquartered at the Madison Hotel, emphasized Smithsonian collections and expanding thematic approaches to snuff bottle study. The program featured illustrated lectures by Lawrence E. Gichner, Hugh M. Moss, Thomas Lawton, Schuyler Van R. Cammann, Paul E. Desautels, Edgar S. Wise, and Harry J. Lawrence; guided visits to the Freer Gallery, Renwick Gallery, and the National Museum of Natural History; structured seminars on aesthetics, materials, symbolism, and investment; and a formal banquet highlighted by an address from James H. Boren. An optional post-convention tour included visits to Evergreen House and the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore.
October 8-13, 1974
–
The Churchill Hotel
Set in London at the Churchill Hotel, the sixth annual ICSBS convention marked the Society’s first major European gathering and leaned heavily into auction-house engagement and British institutional study. Participants attended lectures by Hugh M. Moss, Bob C. Stevens, Peter Malone, A. D. Bilshire, and Alexander S. Cussons, alongside focused visits to Christie’s, Sotheby’s, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Museum, and the Fitzwilliam Museum. Seminars on modern snuff bottles and materials, a formal banquet, and an optional Oxford–Ashmolean tour with private collections completed the program.
October 25-28, 1973
–
Fairmont Hotel and Tower
The Fifth Annual Convention of the Chinese Snuff Bottle Society of America in San Francisco, headquartered at the Fairmont Hotel, highlighted West Coast museum collections and advancing scholarly approaches to Chinese snuff bottles. The program featured lectures by Hugh M. Moss, Morris J. Unterberger, Yvon d’Argencé, and Charles W. Chesterman; extensive study at the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum; thematic seminars on symbolism, Yi-hsing bottles, and mineralogy; private collection visits and cultural programs in Chinatown; and a formal banquet featuring an address by Hans Conried. An optional post-convention tour included visits to major collections in Palo Alto, Stanford, and the Peninsula.
October 26-29, 1972
–
The Colonade Hotel
The Fourth Annual Convention of the Chinese Snuff Bottle Society of America in Boston, headquartered at the Colonnade Hotel, deepened the Society’s engagement with museum collections and interdisciplinary scholarship. The program featured lectures by Max Loehr, Jan Fontein, and Cornelius S. Hurlbut; extensive study at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum; thematic seminars on calligraphy, ceramics, minerals, metals, and bibliography; special displays of members’ collections; and a formal banquet highlighted by an address from Harrie A. Vanderstappen. An optional post-convention tour included visits to major New England museums and private collections.
October 21-24, 1971
–
The Palmer House
The Third Annual Convention of the Chinese Snuff Bottle Society of America in Chicago, headquartered at the Palmer House Hotel, reflected the Society’s growing intellectual breadth and organizational maturity. The program featured illustrated lectures by Hugh M. Moss, Ross Edman, and Jack Sewell; thematic seminars on calligraphy, ceramics, glass, inside-painted bottles, and enamels; special exhibitions of members’ collections; and guided study at the Art Institute of Chicago. The convention concluded with a formal banquet highlighted by an address from Peter C. Swann of the Royal Ontario Museum.
October 15-18, 1970
–
The Ambassador Hotel
The Second Annual Convention of the Chinese Snuff Bottle Society of America in Los Angeles, headquartered at the Ambassador Hotel, expanded the Society’s early scholarly scope and institutional engagement. The program featured multi-part lectures by Hugh M. Moss on Chinese snuff bottles, presentations by Lilla S. Perry, Zachary Taylor, Bob C. Stevens, George Zavadil, and Charles W. Fryer, extensive study at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Pasadena Art Museum, appraisal and calligraphy interpretation panels, and a formal banquet that reinforced the Society’s emerging national presence.
September 25-28, 1969
–
Asia Society House/ Regency Hotel
The First Annual Convention of the Chinese Snuff Bottle Society of America, held in New York City at the Asia Society House, established the Society’s scholarly and collecting mission. The program featured foundational lectures by Lilla S. Perry, Hugh M. Moss, John A. Pope, Gerry P. Mack, Gertrude Stuart, and John S. White Jr.; formal business meetings; appraisal and calligraphy interpretation panels; and group tours of major museum and private collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A concluding banquet and post-convention visits to Princeton University Museum and significant private collections underscored the Society’s early emphasis on scholarship, connoisseurship, and community.