Chester Beatty Collection
Chester Beatty Library – Dublin Castle
Photo: Chester Beatty Library
Sir Alfred Chester Beatty began collecting Chinese snuff bottles as a young mining engineer in New York, long before he became one of the great collectors of the twentieth century. That early passion never left him—a journey to Asia deepened his interest in Chinese art, and he continued acquiring snuff bottles alongside paintings, manuscripts, and Buddhist scrolls throughout his collecting life. The result is one of the most extensive collections of snuff bottles in the world, documented in the catalogue "The Chester Beatty Library, Dublin: Chinese Snuff Bottles," and now housed in the Chester Beatty in the grounds of Dublin Castle, a museum named European Museum of the Year in 2002.
One of the most extensive collections of Chinese snuff bottles in the world, assembled across a lifetime by one of the twentieth century's greatest private collectors, and catalogued in its own dedicated volume by the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society.
Additional resources
From the collection
Ivory carved with scene from the Legend of the White Snake
Japan, 1854–1900. Snuff bottle. Ivory carved with a scene from the Legend of the White Snake. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. © Chester Beatty Library. Object number: C 0556.
Gold-inlaid metal with landscape and genre scenes
China, 1720–1880, Qing dynasty. Snuff bottle. Copper alloy inlaid with gold, depicting landscape and genre scenes. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. © Chester Beatty Library. Object number: C 0490.
Nephrite carved with seal script characters
China, 1780–1860, Qing dynasty. Snuff bottle. Nephrite carved with seal script characters. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. © Chester Beatty Library. Object number: C 0770.
Crystal carved with goats
China, 1750–1880, Qing dynasty. Snuff bottle. Quartz crystal carved with goats, possibly by the School of the Rustic Crystal Master. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. © Chester Beatty Library. Object number: C 0892.
Porcelain moulded with nine lion-dogs
China, 18th–19th century, Qing dynasty. Snuff bottle. Porcelain moulded and painted with nine lion-dogs (shishi). Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. © Chester Beatty Library. Object number: C 0311.
Jadeite carved with the Three Friends of Winter
China, 1800–1900, Qing dynasty. Snuff bottle. Jadeite carved with pine, bamboo, and prunus. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. © Chester Beatty Library. Object number: C 0678.
Agate with natural inclusions resembling birds in a tree
China, 1780–1880, Qing dynasty. Snuff bottle. Agate with natural inclusions resembling birds in a tree; Official School. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. © Chester Beatty Library. Object number: C 0654.
Crystal carved with cymbidium orchid
China, 1750–1860, Qing dynasty. Snuff bottle. Quartz crystal carved with cymbidium orchid. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. © Chester Beatty Library. Object number: C 0877.
Amber in the form of a melon
China, 1750–1830, Qing dynasty. Snuff bottle. Amber carved in the form of a melon. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. © Chester Beatty Library. Object number: C 0526.
Fossiliferous limestone with reddish inclusions
China, 1800–1900, Qing dynasty. Snuff bottle. Fossiliferous limestone with reddish inclusions. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. © Chester Beatty Library. Object number: C 0546.
Cinnabar lacquer carved with figures
China, 1770–1830, Qing dynasty. Snuff bottle. Cinnabar lacquer over metal, carved with figures. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. © Chester Beatty Library. Object number: C 0505.
Macaroni agate with white inclusions
China, 1820–1880, Qing dynasty. Snuff bottle. Macaroni agate with white inclusions. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. © Chester Beatty Library. Object number: C 0632.
Limestone breccia pebble with jagged inclusions
China, 1750–1880, Qing dynasty. Snuff bottle. Limestone breccia of natural pebble form with jagged inclusions. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. © Chester Beatty Library. Object number: C 0698.
Limestone breccia pebble with jagged inclusions
China, 1750–1880, Qing dynasty. Snuff bottle. Limestone breccia of natural pebble form with jagged inclusions. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. © Chester Beatty Library. Object number: C 0698.
Pink and green glass carved with upturned carp
China, 1770–1850, Qing dynasty. Snuff bottle. Pink and green glass carved with an upturned carp. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. © Chester Beatty Library. Object number: C 0413.
Enamelled gold with integrated timepiece
Switzerland, 1810–1830. Snuff bottle. Gold with enamel coating, decorated with geometric black and gold pattern; integrated timepiece in stopper. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. © Chester Beatty Library. Object number: C 0472.
The International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society
2 Hamill Road, Suite 353
Baltimore, MD 21210 USA
410-467-9400
