Topic: strange little bottles

[ottogrunf]

What do you have? perhaps for perfume?

[Anne]

Yes for perfume, the long stopper acts as a dauber (to dab the perfume onto your skin with.)

[user9318]

The bottles, to me, look like they are Chinese snuff bottles, they should have domed lids and spoons attached.

From the photos it is hard to tell if they are inside painted or later copies (printed instead). The stoppers may have come off other items, but I may be completely incorrect and if I am, ignore my post.

You could ask on the Chinese snuff bottle forum http://snuffbottle.smfforfree.com/index.php or have a quick look at this site http://www.snuffbottle.org/en/categories.html

[flying free]

'The bottles, to me, look like they are Chinese snuff bottles, they should have domed lids and spoons attached.'

That was also my first thought
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[ottogrunf]

  hello I think you have to snuff but the cap is strange and then are decorated from the inside

[Anne]

Hmmm yes, they do look like a mix-n-match set now you both mention it...  I can't find bottles like them with stoppers like that... my initial thought was they could be Chinese perfume bottles made in the style of snuff bottles, but if so then I'd expect others to show up on a Google image search and they don't. It might be worth a search through alibaba.com using perfume and snuff as search terms and see what turns up.

Is there a smell in either bottle?

[ottogrunf]

hello anne you're right it is a mix of two things bottles are Chinese 1800s.
plugs have gold leaf so they are not Chinese

[user9318]

The bottles could be of any age, they are still producing them now in China. if the OP wants to get an accurate age of the bottles, best posting on the Chinese snuff bottle site I posted a link to in my earlier reply, they are very knowledgeable and friendly. They will certainly be able to help date the bottles, whether they are old, vintage or new.