The literature of the Chinese snuff bottle is scattered across fifty years of monographs, museum and auction catalogues, and periodicals. The Bookshelf gathers it in one place—a searchable shelf of the standard references. Filter by type, sort by year, or search a title or author, and see at a glance how many bottles each volume illustrates.

With Our Thanks

This database is the work of Richard Baey, who spent years reading, cataloguing, and annotating the literature of the field, and then gave the whole of it to the Society to share with the membership. A resource like this doesn't simply appear; it is built one entry at a time by someone willing to do the patient work. We are enormously grateful to him.

Showing 12 of 12 records

Cover of Orientations May June 2021

Periodical

Orientations (May/June 2021)

112

pp.

44

bottles

A long-running Asian art monthly with regular coverage of Chinese miniature arts. Its snuff-bottle articles tend to be short but well illustrated and timely.

2021

Cover of Arts of Asia Autumn 2022

Periodical

Arts of Asia (Autumn 2022)

148

pp.

52

bottles

An Asian-art quarterly with recurring snuff-bottle features and market reports. Useful for keeping current on scholarship and auction results between the major catalogues.

2022

Cover of The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles

Book

The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles

428

pp.

1097

bottles

The landmark single-collection reference, and still a touchstone for connoisseurs. Its sheer breadth of over a thousand bottles has never really been matched in one volume.

1976

Cover of Bonhams The Mary and George Bloch Collection Part IX

Catalog

Bonhams: The Mary & George Bloch Collection, Part IX

212

pp.

158

bottles

One installment of the most important snuff-bottle collection ever brought to market. Even as a sale catalogue it doubles as a serious reference on quality and range.

2016

Cover of Snuff Bottles of the Ch'ing Dynasty

Catalog

Snuff Bottles of the Ch'ing Dynasty

196

pp.

302

bottles

A foundational exhibition survey spanning all the major material groups. Modest in production but broad in scope, it remains a handy one-volume orientation to the field.

1978

Cover of Inside-Painted Snuff Bottles

Book

Inside-Painted Snuff Bottles: The Ma Shaoxuan Legacy

224

pp.

180

bottles

Focused study of the great inside-painting master Ma Shaoxuan and his lineage. Lawrence traces the school's development and its later imitators in careful detail.

2007

Cover of Christie's Hong Kong Important Chinese Snuff Bottles

Catalog

Christie's Hong Kong: Important Chinese Snuff Bottles

184

pp.

142

bottles

The dispersal of a noted private collection, with a particularly strong inside-painted section. Provenance notes and estimates make it a useful market reference as well.

2019

Cover of Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles Vol. 1 Jade

Book

Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Vol. 1: Jade

352

pp.

210

bottles

First of the definitive Bloch Collection series, devoted entirely to jade. It sets the template of scale and scholarship the rest of the series would follow.

1995

Cover of Miniature Masterpieces

Catalog

Miniature Masterpieces: Snuff Bottles of the Qing Court

288

pp.

196

bottles

Imperial workshop pieces gathered together for the first time in decades. The catalogue pairs strong plates with concise essays on Qing-court production.

2018

Cover of Glass Snuff Bottles of China

Book

Glass Snuff Bottles of China

264

pp.

245

bottles

Definitive treatment of overlay, enamelled and imperial glass wares. Kleiner catalogues the major glass types with unusual clarity, making it a first stop for the medium.

2002

Cover of Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Study

Book

Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Study of the Adventures & Studies of a Collector

216

pp.

340

bottles

An affectionate early field guide, warm on the joys and pitfalls of collecting. Perry writes as an enthusiast rather than an academic, which is exactly its enduring charm.

1960

Cover of The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle: The J & J Collection

Book

The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle: The J & J Collection

640

pp.

453

bottles

Two-volume scholarly benchmark on the celebrated J & J holdings, with exhaustive material analysis and workshop attributions. Decades on, it remains the reference against which new scholarship is measured.

1993

Cover

Title

Type

Author / Publisher

Pages

Bottles

Cover of Orientations May June 2021

Orientations (May/June 2021)

A long-running Asian art monthly with regular coverage of Chinese miniature arts. Its snuff-bottle articles tend to be short but well illustrated and timely.

More

Periodical

Orientations Magazine

112

44

Periodical

2021

Cover of Arts of Asia Autumn 2022

Arts of Asia (Autumn 2022)

An Asian-art quarterly with recurring snuff-bottle features and market reports. Useful for keeping current on scholarship and auction results between the major catalogues.

More

Periodical

Arts of Asia

148

52

Periodical

2022

Cover of The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles

The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles

The landmark single-collection reference, and still a touchstone for connoisseurs. Its sheer breadth of over a thousand bottles has never really been matched in one volume.

More

Book

Bob C. Stevens

428

1097

Book

1976

Cover of Bonhams The Mary and George Bloch Collection Part IX

Bonhams: The Mary & George Bloch Collection, Part IX

One installment of the most important snuff-bottle collection ever brought to market. Even as a sale catalogue it doubles as a serious reference on quality and range.

More

Catalog

Bonhams

212

158

Catalog

2016

Cover of Snuff Bottles of the Ch'ing Dynasty

Snuff Bottles of the Ch'ing Dynasty

A foundational exhibition survey spanning all the major material groups. Modest in production but broad in scope, it remains a handy one-volume orientation to the field.

More

Catalog

Hong Kong Museum of Art

196

302

Catalog

1978

Cover of Inside-Painted Snuff Bottles

Inside-Painted Snuff Bottles: The Ma Shaoxuan Legacy

Focused study of the great inside-painting master Ma Shaoxuan and his lineage. Lawrence traces the school's development and its later imitators in careful detail.

More

Book

Clare Lawrence

224

180

Book

2007

Cover of Christie's Hong Kong Important Chinese Snuff Bottles

Christie's Hong Kong: Important Chinese Snuff Bottles

The dispersal of a noted private collection, with a particularly strong inside-painted section. Provenance notes and estimates make it a useful market reference as well.

More

Catalog

Christie's

184

142

Catalog

2019

Cover of Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles Vol. 1 Jade

Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Vol. 1: Jade

First of the definitive Bloch Collection series, devoted entirely to jade. It sets the template of scale and scholarship the rest of the series would follow.

More

Book

Hugh Moss & Gerd Lester

352

210

Book

1995

Cover of Miniature Masterpieces

Miniature Masterpieces: Snuff Bottles of the Qing Court

Imperial workshop pieces gathered together for the first time in decades. The catalogue pairs strong plates with concise essays on Qing-court production.

More

Catalog

Palace Museum, Beijing

288

196

Catalog

2018

Cover of Glass Snuff Bottles of China

Glass Snuff Bottles of China

Definitive treatment of overlay, enamelled and imperial glass wares. Kleiner catalogues the major glass types with unusual clarity, making it a first stop for the medium.

More

Book

Robert Kleiner

264

245

Book

2002

Cover of Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Study

Chinese Snuff Bottles: A Study of the Adventures & Studies of a Collector

An affectionate early field guide, warm on the joys and pitfalls of collecting. Perry writes as an enthusiast rather than an academic, which is exactly its enduring charm.

More

Book

Lilla S. Perry

216

340

Book

1960

Cover of The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle: The J & J Collection

The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle: The J & J Collection

Two-volume scholarly benchmark on the celebrated J & J holdings, with exhaustive material analysis and workshop attributions. Decades on, it remains the reference against which new scholarship is measured.

More

Book

Hugh Moss, Victor Graham & Ka Bo Tsang

640

453

Book

1993