Explainer / What are snuff boxes and why are they so collectible? European royals made the ornate jewelled boxes popular in the 16th century – now they go for top dollar at auctions

Mar 18 , 2022

Though a thing of the past, snuff boxes’ royal connections make them especially collectable. Photo: SCMP

Today, the once-popular habit of sniffing powdered tobacco or “snuff” has almost completely died out and the small containers that were the practice’s essential accessory are rarely seen.

A snuff box with Alexander and Constance. Photo: Somerset House

Nevertheless, snuff boxes continue to be gifted by visiting royals, which perhaps should come as no surprise, given snuff’s regal origins. Although sniffing tobacco had been introduced to Europe in the late 1400s via Columbus’ expeditions to the New World, it only became widely popular in the mid-16th century, when Catherine de Medici, the French queen, took up the habit. Catherine’s patronage sparked a trend among the royals, aristocrats and affluent of Europe, and by the 18th century, snuff was fashionable among the well-to-do globally.

To keep their snuff fresh, users kept their stash in tightly sealed containers, which were often made of precious metals and ornately decorated with jewels, enamel and miniature paintings. These receptacles generally took the form of boxes in the US, Britain and Europe. In Asia, small bottles made of glass, ivory or jade were more often used.

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A Lacloche vanity case ca. 1905 in yellow gold with cat’s eye chrysoberyl, ruby, and diamond displayed at Liang Yi Museum, Hong Kong. Photo: L’École Van Cleef & Arpels

Though harmful tobacco has since fallen out of favour and is even more rarely taken in snuff form today, snuff boxes are growing in collectability.

A tortoiseshell snuff box painted with a scene of Italy’s Amalfi coast, once owned by British naval hero Admiral Horatio Nelson, is currently listed by a dealer in the UK with a price tag of US$59,000 (£45,000).

Auspicious peaches and bats grace this stuff box and cover. Photo: Bonhams

Another historic snuff box, an ornate 18k gold example carrying the cipher of Napoleon Bonaparte, was sold at auction by Bonhams in October 2021 for £69,000. Bequeathed to his son, the box had been in the possession of the deposed French emperor (who was an enthusiastic user of snuff) during his exile on the South Atlantic island of St. Helena.

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Closer to home, in December 2021, two beautiful ruby red Qing dynasty snuff bottles, dating to the 18th century, were auctioned by Sotheby’s Hong Kong with a presale estimate of HK$6-8,000. They eventually sold for HK$56,700 – a sum not to be sniffed at!

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Though snuff boxes have almost vanished from use, they retain a royal connection that makes them ever more collectable, with Queen Catherine de Medici of France sparking the trend
A historic, 18k gold snuff box carrying the cipher of Napoleon Bonaparte was auctioned by Bonhams in October 2021 for US$91,000 while Asian varieties are made of ivory and jade