Precious Playthings: Chinese Snuff Bottles

Study Groups

Precious Playthings: Chinese Snuff Bottles

Instructor: 
W. Kirkholm, R. Lum, V. Fausone
When: 
January 19, 2013
Time: 
10:30 am - 3:30 pm
Place: 
Education Studios
Fee: 
$45 Society members, $55 non-members (after Museum admission)

Online sales for this lecture are closed. You may pay the fees at the door on Saturday morning.

Fashioned at the express command of the Chinese Emperors as containers for the exceedingly costly powdered tobacco from the West, Chinese snuff bottles remained for over 100 years the exclusive property of the Imperial Manchus and their officials. Though never considered high art, Chinese snuff bottles, because of their Imperial connection and the exquisite craftsmanship they display, exemplify the most refined Chinese decorative art of the 18th century. 

Fabricated by the finest craftsmen at the disposal of the Emperors and made of every conceivable material then available, both precious and profane, the wide range of artistic expression they exhibit continues to delight and captivate serious collectors and casual viewers alike. Join three local collectors, Wesley Kirkholm, Raymond Lum and Vince Fausone, who will share their knowledge of and passion for these precious Imperial playthings.

Wesley Kirkholm is a long time member of the Society for Asian Art and a collector of both Chinese and Thai snuff bottles as well as bencharong ceramics. He is active in the San Francisco Bay Area snuff bottle collectors group and the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society (ICSBS). Raymond Lum grew up in Hong Kong and is a member of the Hong Kong Chinese Snuff Bottle Collectors Group, the SF Bay Area snuff bottle collectors group and the ICSBS. Vince Fausone has been a dedicated collector of Chinese snuff bottles for over 30 years. He is a past president of the Society for Asian Art and a past president of the ICSBS.

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