Two antique Chinese banded agate snuff bottles; each finely hollowed; one of squat circular form, showing striations of tan and caramel coloring, with white crystalline layers; the other of slender form, the slightly opaque lavender stone showing various colors of gray vertical banding. Both approximately 2.50". Weight 3.4 oz. PROVENANCE: A Charleston SC Private Estate. Tobacco was introduced by the Portuguese to the court at Beijing some time during the mid- to late-16th century. It was originally smoked in pipes before the establishment of the Qing Dynasty. The use of snuff and snuff bottles spread through the upper class, and by the end of the 17th century it had become a part of social ritual to use snuff. This lasted through most of the 18th century. Eventually, the trend spread into the rest of the country and into every social class. It was common to offer a pinch of snuff as a way to greet friends and relatives. Snuff bottles soon became an object of beauty and a way to represent status and wealth.

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