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LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Buy this image as a print
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Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Tobacco jar, wood carved in form of human skull, with ivory snake crawling through ear and eye sockets, 18th century(?), Japan
Made of boxwood, this tobacco box has been skilfully carved into the shape of a human skull, with an ivory snake slithering through the ear and eye sockets. Tobacco grew in popularity across the world from the 1600s onwards, favoured for its taste, aroma and nicotine boost.
The design is similar to a memento mori, used to remind a person of the shortness of life – the health risks now associated with smoking were not really known until the middle years of the twentieth century.
Look closer
Tobacco jarDetails
- Category:
- Smoking
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A74840
- Materials:
- boxwood and ivory, snake
- Measurements:
-
overall: 162 mm x 112 mm x 130 mm, .31kg
- type:
- tobacco jar
- credit:
- Stead
